Welcome to big question. This is Cal firstman from the time. I began this podcast. It is followed the rhythms of my life and this week's episode continues in that direction. It's a very reflective time for me as I care for my 90 year old dad who recently beat covid, but his battling cancer.
I recently decided to go back and listen to some interviews. I did with icons when I was writing, as well, as what I've learned column at. Just the time, I decided to do this news broke that Duke basketball, coach, Mike krzyzewski's, coche. Guay had decided to retire at the end of the coming basketball season coming college basketball season. That is so, I naturally was curious about the conversation I had with Coach K about 10 years ago.
Coach K is the winningest men's college basketball coach ever. It's also won five NCAA division, 1 titles, coach the USA's national team to Olympic gold. There can be no dispute that he's one of the greatest basketball coaches ever. And our talk was clear evidence why? Maybe I'll play our conversation in entirety on big questions at the start of the next basketball season, but what really struck me at this moment in time
Was the tail end of our conversation when Coach K remember his competitor and later his close friend?
Jim Valvano.
Albano known to all. Is Jimmy be famously won an NCAA Championship coaching at North Carolina, State 1983 with a last-second. Buzzer beater, that upset top-seeded Houston. It's one of the Great Moments in television sports history and if you're too young to have seen it, check it out on YouTube. In the Mayhem, following the winning shot, you'll see the emotional.
Be comically running around the court looking for someone to hug. Even if you watch it without any of the tension of being in the moment, it will bring you great joy. Jimmy, B's life took some twists and turns after that Victory but came out charging him with paying off players and other violations. School was investigated by the NCAA and though most of the allegations in the book did not check out, it was discovered that some of his players.
Has had sold tickets. They received to their own games and the school was put on probation. The one of the NCAA investigators later wrote Jimmy being apologetic, letter saying that he would have sent his own son to play for him. The weight of the entire experience, forced Jimmy V to leave. He became a beloved television, analyst for ESPN. And then down the road, he came down with cancer. It was his battle with cancer, that ultimately defined his life and lives.
Unto this day. And that's what Coach K was talking about. Toward the end of our conversation. Coach K was with, Jimmy B Antillean, having become the closest of friends and he spoke almost in awe about what Jimmy V had accomplished. No, no, it was. It wasn't all, he wasn't know about what Jimmy V had accomplished at the end of his life with the V Foundation. I went on the website and saw that sensitive be Foundation, was founded in 1993.
Three. It's raised a quarter of a billion dollars that goes to cancer research. Grants to detect, cutting-edge screening tools, and find gentler therapies with less, debilitating side effects. All of which gives the gift of more time to patients and their families. It's probably impossible to know how many families the V Foundation is impacted, but listening to Coach K talk about what he saw in gym.
V at the end of his life, is a great way for all of us to think about how we want to live our lives, doesn't matter the stage. It all comes down to how you decide to use your time and I hope this piece of my conversation with Coach K inspires you to get the most out of your time no matter what stage of life you're in. So here goes Coach K.
I know from reading your book that you were literally in the room when Jimmy V passed away. And I was wondering, you know if your feelings of that moment have changed over time have it kind of like a
wine? Obviously it was a it was a
painful moment but do you get more from the moment as time passes? I think not.
And I spent a lot of time.
We became II don't I don't, I can't use, I don't know what words to describe it was greater than friends and he knew he was going to die, and I knew his going to die. And I saw a man lift himself to Greatness in a moment. And those last four months were, most of us would be horrible. And it was an honor.
To be there with him, the whole four months in when he did pass I was, you know, obviously crying and sad. But I was honored to be there for my friend was going on to something else, but he was going to live forever and he's going to live forever. He turned a tragic, think into a miracle in and with
The Salvage and so over time, I've learned to appreciate that a lot more and when you say it over, why my wife and I close to Wine celebration and Napa for the V Foundation races.
Somewhere between two and four million dollars in summer. If we don't do much, we just drink a lot of wine.
Jimmy was extraordinary.
I'm not sure. It's extraordinary his whole life into the darkest moment. For most people, he was at his best, and that's extraordinary and he he thought Beyond Death, this extraordinary thing, you know what, he what he did, and I'm part, I'm proud to be on the V Foundation team and with all those people have done
Amazing time with release an album. I was glad to see him at the moment. He passed from one wife and to another
because he passed to another great wife based on what he did those last four months of his life. But Weaver, how did he lift himself in those last four months, huh? How did you do is going to die? And there was, there is no pure and that he is like a competitor. He said he said,
I can't believe I can't be cancer and he said, I have an idea. And that's where the V Foundation came about was his idea and he recruited a few guys, were there being me say you know what, you do this? And obviously we said yes and he spent all of his time.
You know, making sure that he was leaving something behind that. Could be the thing that beat him.
So that ultimately he knew if everybody followed through with it, that he would win. Oh man.
That's the best how I feel about everything we talked about it. That mean that's I mean I just think that's extraordinary. Did you sense did you sense it at the moment or it did you need time to understand what he said?
I didn't know that. I was in the midst of something. Extraordinary, not me.
That being with him during that time was extraordinary. I realized that because F walk out of that room, go home and it's a. All right. So, how the hell does he do that? You know, the I ask myself, would you be able to do that? I'm not sure I could do that.
Yeah. But I'm not sure. I could be like that. Amazing just just amazing. Yeah, I think this is the most amazing thing I've encountered. Wow, that's why it's funny because you know, he's Italian, I'm polish, we came in. You know, he's from New York. I'm from Chicago that we had very similar ethnic
And we would laugh and cry, 3 4 nights a week. Chase the nurses out, and the other people out. And I walk out of here and be exhausted because I've been laughing or crying so much and so full of life and
In those last four months. And you know, when it was over, I think he had given his life so much. He had said it, he did get imparted that to so many people to go forward. That it was just time to go and but he you know what, he's never left, the spirits never left.
Just to break right there.
That about wraps it up when I think back on what I just heard look over at my dad know that I'm on the right path by creating a platform to try to improve health care. I'm at work on establishing a separate podcast, round Healthcare toward the end of this year. We'll see, could be the beginning of next. And let me thank Tim Ferriss for putting me in this position when he nudged me to start this podcast. If you have suggestions or ideas on improving Healthcare, please.
Email me at kalfus mint.com never know where a tip can take me. Ain't that right front of our shop? Hope that whatever stage of life here in, you are getting the most out of it. Good health to you and yours. Cheers.
