Resilience Through Adversity
- “Avengers” star Jeremy Renner was severely injured during an accident involving his seven-tonne PistenBully snowcat last year. He was crushed by the snowplow and suffered more than 30 broken bones, blunt chest trauma, and orthopedic injuries, his spokesman Sam Mast previously told NBC News.
- Now, nearly one year later, Renner is impressing his fans and offering hope to anyone facing adversity as he’s now able to run up a hill.
- Renner’s inspirational words: “My greatest therapy has been my mind and the will to be here and push to recover and be better…. Be exceptional… I feel it’s my duty to do so. Not to squander my life being spared, but to give back to my family, friends, and all of you whom have empowered me to endure . I thank you all.”
- If you’re someone in need of some inspiration, SurvivorNet has you covered. We’ve had the privilege of sharing many moving stories from cancer survivors over the years, including that of chef Eduardo Garcia’s incredible journey overcoming testicular cancer, pediatric cancer survivor and Girl Scout cookie sales record holder Lilly Bumpus and best-selling author and late-stage lymphoma survivor Alex Echols.
Renner was crushed by the snowplow and suffered more than 30 broken bones, blunt chest trauma, and orthopedic injuries, his spokesman Sam Mast previously told NBC News. Following the shocking incident, Renner was hospitalized in “critical but stable condition.”
Read MoreRenner recently shared an uplifting video clip of himself doing side steps and skips down what appears to be a driveway and then running back up, with the song “Sign” by Jeremy Renner himself and Eric Zayne.View this post on Instagram
The song’s lyrics heard in the video clip are, “I need something to believe in/ Throw my hands up to the ceiling/ Oh, sky, won’t you give me a sign?/ Tell me will the world one day ever be mine/ Will it ever be mine.”
Renner captioned the post, “Today marks the day on 10 months of recovery …. First attempt at any of this activity (especially at steep grade) and was brought to tears of joy, hopefulness, and gratitude for all your support along with my family and friends….
“I keep pushing for many reasons, but you are my fuel.”
Fans praised Renner for continuing to work toward his goals and pushing through the difficult times, with one Instagram user writing, “I’m a week away from having a double mastectomy. You have been one of my inspirations if fear tries to creep in. Your recovery has been AMAZING!!”
Another wrote, “I’m literally crying watching this @jeremyrenner. I’m so proud of you. I’m proud of the determination you had and still have to get better and stronger.
“You are truly an inspiration and a freaking warrior. I’m just in awe seeing how far you’ve come. God bless you.”
“10 months of hard work and dedication to recover from very serious injuries, glad to see you are back at it and enjoying life to the fullest,” wrote a third. “May we all face head on any challenges and hardships life puts in our way as bravely as you have!”
View this post on Instagram
Fans were able to see Renner’s progess as he occasional shared videos on his Instagram of him putting in the work to regain his strength.
“My PT made this for reference and to remember, you cannot walk unless you take one step at a time!” he captioned a video of him walking on a treadmill earlier this year.
Keeping Hope Through a Health Challenge
Last month, he shared another post, explaining, “I have been exploring EVERY type of therapy since Jan 14th … everyday , countless hours of physical therapy, peptide injections, iv drips and pushes, stem cell and exosomes, red light / IR therapy, hyperbaric chamber 2.0 atmospheres, cold plunge, and the list goes on and on…. BUT
“My greatest therapy has been my mind and the will to be here and push to recover and be better…. Be exceptional… I feel it’s my duty to do so. Not to squander my life being spared, but to give back to my family, friends, and all of you whom have empowered me to endure . I thank you all.”
View this post on Instagram
Renner previously spoke with Diane Sawyer about his accident and ongoing recovery. During an April 2023 interview, Renner explaned he had been leaning out of the snowplow’s door to look for his nephew, but fell off fell under the snowplow’s track while trying to climb back up.
The dad of one told Saywer, “I just happened to be the dummy standing on the dang track a little bit, seeing if my nephew was there,. You should be inside the vehicle when you’re operating [it,] you know what I mean? It’s kind of like driving a car with your foot outside the car … And it’s my mistake, and I paid for it.”
Renner was attempting to help his nephew, who was 27 years old at the time, move a truck that had gotten stuck after a snowstorm. Luckily his nephew was there when the accident occurred.
“If I was there on my own, that would’ve been a horrible way to die. And surely I would have. Surely. But I wasn’t alone. It was my nephew, sweet Alex. And the rest of the cavalry came.”
As for his injuries, Renner said, “I’ve lost a lot of flesh and bone in this experience, but I’ve been refueled and refilled with love and titanium.”
More Stories of Resilience
Jeremy Renner is an amazing example of resilience. Sometimes hearing stories like his can help people faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, cancer or otherwise, move forward with bravery and strength.
And if inspiration is what you need, SurvivorNet has you covered. Time and time again, we get to get to share stories of resilience because there’s no shortage of brave cancer warriors holding onto hope in the face of adversity and achieving amazing things.
“Charged – The Eduardo Garcia Story” is an award-winning SurvivorNetTV documentary following chef Eduardo Garcia’s incredible journey overcoming testicular cancer.
SurvivorNetTV Presents: “Charged”: Setbacks Help Chef Discover Meaning and Connection
Garcia was on a hunting and fishing trip through the Montana backcountry in 2011 when he stumbled upon what he thought were the remains of a bear in a tin can that ended up being an old electrical junction box. When he attempted to remove its claw with his knife, he received an extremely severe electrical shock of 2400 volts. He lost an arm and nearly his life.
But his health struggles didn’t stop there. At the hospital, doctors also found that Garcia had testicular cancer. He needed to start chemotherapy immediately before beginning reconstructive surgeries.
Thankfully, Garcia beat the disease and has since returned to cooking up some delectable eats using a prosthetic arm. He’s a true warrior at heart who’s happy to be in remission and grateful for the people who helped to get him there.
“Everyone that has encouraged me, and supported me, and forgiven me, and held me accountable has brought me to today and how I make my life moving forward,” he said.
Another inspiring cancer warrior SurvivorNet has gotten to know is Lilly Bumpus. She’s a pediatric cancer survivor who was born with Ewing sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer that is often found in children and young adults.
All before she turned one, Bumpus underwent intense rounds of chemotherapy and had some of her bones removed from her chest wall. Thankfully, those efforts were successful, and she’s still in remission today, though chemotherapy has left her with lasting side effects like bone deformation.
As if kicking cancer’s butt wasn’t enough, she’s also beaten the Girl Scout cookie sales record for most boxes sold in a single season. She sold more than 32,000 boxes of cookies in 2021 despite operating in a world ensnared by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My favorite thing about Lilly is that she never gives up,” her mother, Trish, previously told SurvivorNet. “So, Lillybug got to 10,000 boxes one week into Girl Scout cookie season. Never, ever has that happened. So we went from there. I then approached Girl Scouts and said, ‘What happens now if she sells 20,000 boxes?’ And they said, ‘20,000 boxes, yeah, okay.’ So we said, ‘Game on.’ So then we sold on and sold on, and she got into 20,000 boxes.”
“And then we went to 32,000,” added Lilly.
And last, but certainly not least, best-selling author Alex Echols is yet another cancer warrior whose story has enthralled and 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, is 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.
Power of Support
A recovery journey can be extremely stressful. One way SurvivorNet experts encourage cancer patients or anyone dealing with adversity to alleviate some of that stress is by leaning on their support system, just like Renner has done done with her family.
A support system can be made up of loved ones like family and friends. It can also be comprised of strangers who have come together because of a shared cancer experience. Mental health professionals can also be critical parts of a support system.
WATCH: Sharing Details About Your Cancer Diagnosis.
“Some people don’t need to go outside of their family and friend’s circle. They feel like they have enough support there,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik told SurvivorNet.
“But for people who feel like they need a little bit more, it’s important to reach out to a mental health professional,” Dr. Plutchik added.
Dr. Plutchik also stressed it is important for people supporting cancer warriors to understand their emotions can vary day-to-day. “People can have a range of emotions, they can include fear, anger, and these emotions tend to be fluid. They can recede and return based on where someone is in the process,” she explained.
Meanwhile, Dr. Charmain Jackman, a licensed psychologist and founder of InnoPsych, echoes SurvivorNet experts on the benefits of positive mental health while facing a health diagnosis.
Dr. Jackman explained, “In the face of a life-threatening diagnosis, fear, hopelessness, and despair can quickly take space in your mind. However, your mindset is a superpower and can be a potent antidote to illness.
“Practicing gratitude, cultivating joy, and connecting to the community are practical ways to develop a resilient mindset.”
Contributing: SurvivorNet
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.