Eric Shanteau, who became one of Austin's most talked about residents after competing in Beijing in 2008, spoke with KVUE’s Melissa Gale. Most people watching the Olympic trials had no idea he was in the fight for his life.
KVUE found Shanteau at the University of Texas Swim Center, already training for the 2012 Olympic games in London.
Eric spends about 30 hours a week in the pool and swims 13,000 yards a day -- the equivalent of 600 laps.
It's no different than what he was doing a year and a half ago -- training for Beijing -- when the unthinkable happened.
“I learned that there was a health problem or found a lump, bump, whatever you want to call it, about two weeks before Olympic trials last year,” he said.
“He was diagnosed June 19th, just seven days before he was to leave for the Olympic trials in Beijing.
“You go through the mix of emotions of being angry, upset, frustrated, sad. You know, why is this happening to me? Why now? Not that there's ever a good time,” he said.
It was a tough decision whether to postpone the surgery. The Olympics were still almost two months away. But in the end, he took a chance.
The surgery would have to wait.
His focus paid off at the trials.
“At the Olympics last year, I went my personal best time in the 200 meter breast stroke doing that on the biggest stage in the world. And doing it all with cancer. You really can't ask for much more,” he said.
And, just this summer, he won a gold, silver and bronze at the world championships in Rome.
Eric says the past year has been challenging, living as a survivor -- knowing his body is capable of growing cancerous tumors. But cancer also taught him a life changing lesson.
“Getting upset over small things or worrying about things too much just isn't worth it,” he said. “I look at it as being very fortunate to have that outlook at such a relatively young age.”
When Shanteau is not swimming, he spends time working for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, traveling the nation to tell men about the importance of routine checkups and getting to a doctor as soon as they detect a problem.
