The Resilience of Cancer Warriors
- Dwayne Johnson recently posted about his mother’s scary car accident. Thankfully, she is doing okay and under continued evaluation.
- In sharing the news, Johnson also said his strong mother is a survivor in more ways than one. She’s also survived stage three lung cancer, a tough marriage, a head on collision with a drunk driver and an attempted suicide.
- Publicly acknowledging difficult parts of life is a form of strength and healing that can take away shame, say some mental health survivors
- Resilience is not an uncommon trait amongst cancer warriors. Danielle Ripley-Burgess, a two-time colon cancer survivor, says her cancer journey helped her uncover "some beautiful things: Wisdom. Love. Life purpose. Priorities."
- Another cancer survivor, best-selling author Alex Echols, says he’s “just gotten back into such a rich and beautiful life” for himself following a battle with late-stage lymphoma.
Dwayne took to Instagram to share photos of Ata’s totaled red Cadillac sedan along with a heartfelt message.
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Dwayne Johnson’s Mother: A Survivor in More Ways than One
Dwayne Johnson continued his caption by explaining the sheer resilience that is his mother someone who not only has survived a separate terrifying car crash at the hands of a drunk driver, but also has survived stage three lung cancer in 2010 after chemotherapy and radiation, among other things.
“This woman has survived lung cancer, tough marriage, head on collision with a drunk driver,” Dwayne wrote. “She's a survivor, in ways that make angels and miracles real.”
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Dwayne has also previously opened up about Ata tried to commit suicide when he was 15.
"She got outta the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic. Big rigs and cars swerving outta the way not to hit her," he wrote in an Instagram post from 2018.
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Thankfully, Dwayne was there to pull her back onto the gravel shoulder of the road.
"What's crazy about that suicide attempt is to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever," he said. "Probably best she doesn't."
In his post from Ata’s recent car accident, Dwayne also made a point to thank the people that helped his mother and remind everyone to make the most of the time they have with their parents. Dwayne’s father, professional wrestler Rocky Johnson, died of a pulmonary embolism in 2020 at 75.
“Thank you LAPD & LAFD for being so caring & focused,” he wrote. Thanks for staying on phone and talking me thru it all. I got one parent left, so if you still got your mom and dad make sure you hug 'em hard, cos you never know when you'll get that 3am call we never want to get.”
The Resilience of Cancer Warriors
Here at SurvivorNet, we get to share stories of resilience all the time because there's no shortage of brave cancer warriors holding onto hope in the face of adversity and achieving amazing things.
RELATED: 6 Cancer Survivors Tell Us How They Stay Hopeful During Difficult Times
Danielle Ripley-Burgess, a two-time colon cancer survivor, has an incredible story. She was first diagnosed with colon cancer in high school and proceeded to beat the disease not once, but twice.
Understandably so, Ripley-Burgess has had to work through a lot of complex emotions that came with her cancer journey. Still, she's always managed to look at life with a positive attitude.
"As I've worked through the complex emotions of cancer, I've uncovered some beautiful things: Wisdom. Love. Life purpose. Priorities," she previously told SurvivorNet. "I carry a very real sense that life is short, and I'm grateful to be living it! This has made me optimistic.
"Optimism doesn't mean that fear, pain and division don't exist they do. Our world is full of negativity, judgment and hate. Optimism means that I believe there's always good to be found despite the bad, and this is what my life is centered around."
She moves through life with a sense of purpose unique to someone who's been faced with the darkest of times. Happily in remission today, she's determined to, one day, leave the world better than she found it.
"We can choose to stay positive, treat others with respect and look for the light in spite of the darkness," she said. "This type of attitude and behavior will lead to the kind of legacies I believe all of us hope to leave."
Similar to Ripley-Burgess, best-selling author Alex Echols is yet another cancer warrior whose story has moved us. He is a late-stage lymphoma survivor who, as humble as can be, credits his resilience to his upbringing in a violence-ridden neighborhood he's since left.
How a Tough Childhood Helped One Young Man Face His Greatest Obstacle: Late-Stage Lymphoma
His treatment included high-dose chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant, also known as a stem cell transplant not an easy journey by any means. But through it all, Echols remained optimistic as ever.
"Even during some of the most challenging days and nights, when I didn't have any energy, I looked for things to be grateful for," he said. "I've always felt like I've been an optimist my entire life, and I've always seen things as the glass half full."
Now, he's on the other side of his cancer journey and sharing what he's learned with the world through his work. He's an emotional intelligence leadership-based trainer and the bestselling co-author of The Two-Week Notice: How to Discover Your Passion, Quit Your Job + Impact Our World.
"Honestly, I've just gotten back into such a rich and beautiful life for myself," he said.
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