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This is Brave

This is Brave: Showing Cancer Who is Tougher

Well, it’s been two years since my last Coolibar blog. So much has happened since then that I really don’t know where to begin. To refresh, my cancer journey started in May 2014. An ex-girlfriend found a suspicious spot under my right armpit and told me that I needed to get it checked. As many men typically do, I told her that I would take care of it in the fall. She said that was not an option and made an appointment for the next week. As it turns out, it was malignant melanoma. I will always be grateful to her for possibly saving my life. Since then I have been very vigilant about getting regular check-ups.

This is Brave: Catching up with Brian McKenna in 2019

This is Brave: Brian McKenna in 2018

Well, cancer came back in February 2017. I had five cancer surgeries in four weeks on my face. The fifth surgery—which was supposed to take four hours—was extremely rare and difficult and ended up taking nine hours! It required 300+ stitches, took a chunk out my right ear, left me with partial face palsy and a right eyelid that couldn’t blink. The doctors had to take a few tendons out of my right leg and rewire the nerves in my face. After radiation and physical/occupational therapy, the hope was that one day the nerves would re-trigger, the face palsy would go away, and I would be able to blink again. Thanks to the miracle workers—doctors, nurses, therapists and staff—at Barnes/Wash University/Siteman I’m doing about as well as can be under the circumstances.

After that surgery, I went through seven rounds of chemo pills and one week of putting chemo ‘hell ointment’ all over my body in 2019 and 2020. Though it has been rough, I have persevered because of consistent check-ups and my three most prized possessions in life:

My faith. My families. My friends.

What else do I need?  I’m so blessed to have the best family ever. They are my true currency. I have the greatest friends and a community that cares so much that they threw several fundraisers and a parade with 500 cars to help me pay my medical bills and other bills while I couldn’t work. I could never express enough appreciation and gratitude for the love, support, prayers and strength this community has shown me. They inspired me to get out of bed on mornings when I had nothing physically or emotionally in the tank. I didn’t want let them down. 

I initially shared my story publicly with the hope of inspiring others to keep on keeping on. Throughout my life, I have witnessed family and friends battling like warriors when facing cancer, depression, other illnesses or the loss of loved ones. They inspired me and gave me the perfect blueprint on how to not let adversity bully me. You lose 100% of the time when you don’t battle. 

I have had many people ask me how I remained so tough throughout all of this. As an Irishman, I have been in many scraps throughout my life but I don’t think that’s what they were referring to. I would always tell them that mental toughness is a lifestyle. You don’t need to talk or act tough. That’s actually a clear sign of insecurity. Authentic toughness is earned through your confidence, kindness, positivity and humbleness. It’s the ability to stay focused in the moment. Trust me, when getting ready for a cancer surgery or driving to another radiation appointment, or knowing you have another round of chemo ahead of you, mental toughness is so much more important than physical toughness. I’ve always been a believer in the motto “strength of body, power of mind”. Every scar tells a story.

Thank you Coolibar for the awesome UPF 50+ gear that allows me to protect myself outdoors while looking fashionable. I look forward to the next part of my journey and what lies ahead. I thank God every night for two things:

1. Making my reality bigger than all of my dreams.

2. Giving me one more day. ☮️❤️👊

Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe!

#bebrave #family #bekind #stayhumble #getyourcheckups

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This is Brave

This is Brave: Catching Up with Brian McKenna

2018 was wonderful, unpredictable, challenging and educational. I’ve had two more surgeries and three rounds of chemo pill treatments lasting 8 weeks each. In fact, as I am writing this, I am waiting for my next 8-week round of chemo pills to arrive in the mail. I strongly believe that I am going to get through this with flying colors because of my wonderful doctors/nurses and the three F’s – faith, family and friends. I can now see a light at the end of the tunnel. When I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2014, instead of asking “why me,” I said, “try me.”

I realized that my mind was going to play an integral part of the battle. When cancer returned in 2017, I was ready for it. I was of the mindset that it had picked a fight with the wrong person. Cancer can control you from day one if you’re not careful. Like life, cancer is a full-contact sport. It can cause depression, fear, anger and hopelessness. Cancer also makes you take inventory of your life and appreciate the things that you have been taking for granted for many years.

My journey has taught me the following: enjoy every day, you will be much happier if you work hard at loving yourself and being happy, surround yourself with authentic people with kind hearts, pray that others find happiness including those that wronged you, smile more than you should, accept your shortcomings and realize you will never be perfect, embrace disappointment and grow from it, be challenged, forgive others, forgive yourself, get rid of that rearview mirror and look straight ahead, be grateful, don’t be afraid to fail, get comfortable with the uncomfortable, turn the other cheek, act upon the needs of others, your true worth is the effect you have on others, count your blessings, tell someone you love them before the bricks run out of road, realize that every relationship (good or bad) happened for a reason and that you are exactly where God wants you to be today.

All of this has become so much more apparent to me during my cancer journey. I’m so blessed to have the St. Louis community surrounding me with prayers, love and support. I am humbled and grateful.

Life gave Brian the sourest of lemons and he turned them into the sweetest of lemonades by starting a non-profit of his own that specializes in helping people that are in need and spreading good vibes through the world.

My goal every day is to make a difference in this world and be the best Brian McKenna that I can be! I fail on many days, but that’s just part of the journey. Please get regular skin checkups and never stop dreaming.

Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe!

To see Brian’s story from last year’s campaign, visit HERE

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Skin Diaries This is Brave

This is Brave: Brian McKenna

Chal·lenge

“A call to fight, as in a battle, a duel, etc.“

It was the spring of 2014. I remember my doctor escorted me past the examining room, straight back to his office, where he closed the door behind me. I may not be a card-carrying member of Mensa International, but I knew something was up. He opened his laptop and started explaining the results from the biopsy he’d taken from my body three weeks prior. Unfortunately, I read three paragraphs ahead of my doctor, and scanned two words that took my breath away, “malignant melanoma”.

I didn’t hear anything he said after reading that.

Fast forward to February 2017. I was diagnosed with a very rare, infiltrating, aggressive basal cell cancer, whose “fingers” wrapped around the nerves in my face and were headed towards my brain. To make matters worse, it metastasized over my entire body. In addition to the aggressive basal cell cancer, melanoma was found on my back. Cancer had challenged me to a fight.

I accepted the challenge.  I wasn’t going to fight cancer, cancer was going to fight me! Instead of “why me,” I embraced “try me” and braced myself for the fight of a lifetime.

In life, you can be the bug or the windshield. I challenged myself to be the windshield. I also challenged myself to share my cancer journey openly, utilizing my public image as a former radio/tv personality, to help bring awareness to skin cancer prevention. I challenged myself to be a loud voice in St. Louis, Missouri, to raise money for skin cancer research with the hope that one day we find a cure.

After nine surgeries in the last 13 months (including a 9+ hour facial reconstruction), over 400 stitches, radiation, chemo, physical therapy and occupational therapy, I’m here to tell you that I am on the road to recovery.

I challenge all of you to be kind, stay humble, do more than is expected, give more than you take, dream big, make a difference in this world and GET REGULAR SKIN CHECK-UPS! Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe!

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