ST. PETERSBURG -- Saturday (4th) is World Cancer Day. A five-time cancer survivor in Florida is offering his advice on how to deal with a diagnosis and stay in the fight.
Bill Potts, now a longtime resident of St. Petersburg, has worked for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and recently sold a business he co-owned. He's also been involved with the Ironman events. Potts got his first diagnosis in 2002, with thyroid cancer, and was later diagnosed with incurable lymphoma and prostate cancer. He's written a book called "Up for the Fight," aimed at cancer patients and their families to help them advocate for themselves.
Potts says cancer patients shouldn't be afraid of asking for a second opinion. He says he learned that lesson the hard way in 2002, when he received radiation ablation treatment for thyroid cancer, and was told a year later that it had come back. At that point, Potts said, he got a second opinion which he believes saved his life. He says health care providers respond positively to patients who advocate for themselves if they do it in the right way.
Hear more in an interview with Potts below:
Photo: Canva