All Things, Including Cancer Surgery, in Good Time for Shanteau

Like many, since the day I heard about Shanteau's condition, I've worried that he was a misguided young athlete in a quintessentially obsessive sport who was making an unwise decision. The better the athlete, the more he's tempted to think he can do what others can't, beat tougher odds, take bigger risks. However, Shanteau, an Auburn grad, is intelligent, self-possessed and fighting not to delude himself.

"There used to be a five percent survival rate. Now it's 95 percent curable. . . . I will beat this," said Shanteau, who's talked with Lance Armstrong, who overcame the same condition, and uses the same doctor.

Still, hearing the word "malignant" has shaken and then reshaped him, perhaps even making him more remarkable. When he first got the news, "I just kind of went numb. Then, you get angry. Or I did. 'Why me? Why now?' You want to reach over and knock the doctor out of his chair. . . . I thought, 'No way. I'm this elite athlete.' I'm going into the Olympic trials with an 'I'm invincible' mind-set."

Since that day, June 11, Shanteau seems to have gone through progressive levels of maturity. He realized that in the insular world of swimming he couldn't possibly keep such a secret indefinitely. So, in the ultimate out-of-control situation, he controlled those things that were still in his hands. "I didn't want the news to get out and get blown up. So I decided to deal with it on my own terms."

First came the team meeting -- "one of the hardest things I've ever done," he said. Then came the sudden public platform for a swimmer who, while good enough to win four medals in the national championships, is far from a superstar. His best time in the 200 breaststroke is the 13th fastest in the world this year.

"I hope I can be an inspiration to others, let them know you don't have to be afraid," Shanteau said. "At first, it rattled me. Then I realized it's not my fault. Accept it. Take ownership of it. . . . This will probably be the defining thing that happens in my life.

"I chose to make it a positive."

Many will imagine a storybook ending. Armstrong has said, "I think at the Olympics he will swim like a man possessed." He may. But get it straight: If this guy medals, if he stands on the podium while they play the anthem, it would have been a mild upset if he were perfectly healthy.

Yet Shanteau is convinced that cancer is actually going to help him perform better. A self-psych job? Or insight?

"The hard part is done," said Shanteau, whose primary goal has always been to reach the Olympics, especially after finishing third in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke in the '04 trials -- one spot too low.

"How do I stay focused? It's been pretty easy. I've got an 'out' in cancer. . . . I have a reputation for thinking myself out of a good swim, thinking myself crazy. Now I have something else to think about. It calms me down and relaxes me and takes the pressure off."

If you want to know how bad Olympic pressure can be, there you have it: The thought of surgery for cancer can be a useful distraction.

Whatever Shanteau's final result, he knows what he's already done. "It's my dream come true," he said. "I'm just happy I finally got to come."