Statistics … Don’t Bet Your Life on Them

If I believed in statistics, I wouldn’t be working so hard on this blog and book to prove them wrong. Statistics are great when you’re told they are in your favor, but they stink if you’re on the wrong side of them.

It felt good to have a chat with my oncologist Monday and learn he feels the same way. He told me he doesn’t like them! These numbers lump everyone together, no matter the age, lifestyle or whether or not they are taking an active role in staying healthy. Those people aren’t me.

I told this to my oncologist and he commented that about 80 percent of his patients don’t take care of themselves at all. They go to get chemo, but little else to help the process. So I feel like I’m ahead of the curve.

Me and my daughter Chrissy visiting Doug Ulman at the Lance Armstrong Foundation headquarters in Austin

Here’s what Doug Ulman, president and CEO of the Lance Armstrong Foundation and three-time survivor, told me when I interviewed him for my book:

Lance often tells the story of how one doctor said to him, “I like your chances.” He said all he needed was that confidence, someone who believed. People want to be inspired and hopeful.

That’s why I don’t often see the value of statistics. It might be helpful if you tell someone that people with their diagnosis have a 90 percent chance of surviving. But telling someone they have a 20 percent chance? What does that do but demoralize them? Could you make a statement about the gravity of the situation and still offer hope? I think so.

To me, statistics are meaningless. They are based on a whole bunch of people that aren’t me. There is no way to know for certain what is to come.

What we do know is that there is hope, no matter what statistics indicate. For those of us who have been down this path, there is nothing more powerful.

For more information on statistics, visit: http://www.metacancer.org/everyday-living/maintaining-hope-despite-statistics