DAVID VERSUS GOLIATH: the Biblical story of David & Goliath is probably the most well-known underdog story in the world. Goliath is a giant warrior of the Philistine army who calls out the Israelite, David, who is a shepherd boy. “Come to me that I might feed your flesh to the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field”. David says to King Saul, “I want to fight Goliath”. David has spent his time defending his flock against wolves by using a sling. David shoots Goliath with a stone from his sling right between the eyes and topples the giant over, and David kills him.
What character traits & mindset does it take to overcome great odds and take down the giant. David knew size is not the only measure – it’s about HEART, COURAGE, COMMITMENT & execution of your SKILL & TALENT. Your level of thinking and preparation applies in life as well as athletics —AND ANY CHALLENGE YOU ARE FACING. Think bigger than the challenge, be bigger than the obstacle and prepare not to accept mediocrity, instead pursue excellence.
Emil “Jay” Freireich (1927 – 2021) was an American hematologist, oncologist, and cancer biologist. He was recognized as a pioneer in the treatment of cancer and use of chemotherapy. He is often known as the father of modern leukemia therapy. HE WAS A GIANT OF MODERN MEDICINE & GAVE YOUNG LEUKEMIA PATIENTS HOPE WITH HIS GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH.
But he did not start out as a GIANT, he started out as an underdog. He was born to Hungarian immigrants in 1927. He grew up in inner-city Chicago during the Great Depression. When Jay was a young boy, his dad committed suicide. They were devastatingly poor and only able to eat protein once a week. Jay’s physics teacher encouraged him to pursue a college degree, so his mother borrowed the money. Dr. Freireich always complained about the idea of hospice— arguing doctors should never simply give up and allow patients to die.
He said in interviews, he has NEVER been depressed or HOPELESS as a doctor, despite working on thousands of dire cancer diagnosis, most times involving young children. As a young man in 1955, Dr. Freireich is assigned to work in the children’s ward of the National Cancer Institute.
At this point in history, childhood leukemia is one of the most difficult illnesses to treat — at the time, leukemia was a death sentence — hopelessness — comes on suddenly and leads to great agony and lots of bleeding from every part of their bodies. Most children lived only eight weeks after being diagnosed. 99% died within one year. DOC was able to focus on the immediate CHAOS of keeping the children from bleeding to death and never getting depressed and forging onward to figure out a cure – THE SOLUTION. HE NEVER GIVES UP. He and the researchers remained DETERMINED and UNDETERRED, by giving the children multiple blood infusions to help build up their platelet counts. Blood banks won’t give him the blood he needs; his colleagues warn to censure/sanction/fire him. He does NOT STOP; he recruits his own blood donors.
What does it take for someone to ACT WITH COURAGE when you are the UNDERDOG & the odds are stacked against you? Does going through TOUGH TIMES allow you to discover to dare greatly and strive valiantly? Do the TOUGH TIMES forge within you a DETERMINED MINDSET TO OVERCOME THE ODDS or what the “experts” predict?
DOC comes up with a combination of drugs — a COCKTAIL of medications — which mounts a multi-tiered attack on the cancer. Again, the “naysayers” are skeptical and warn against his idea of using so many dangerous drugs in combination, and refusing to get on board because of the possibility of paralyzing the children & causing long term depression & the general pain and havoc wreaked on those young kids. His colleagues refuse to help him, so he has to take ALL OF THE RISKS ALONE.
“They said I was unethical and inhumane and would kill children”, Freireich recalled later.
Freireich gives a little girl a dose that is too high, and though she initially recovers, she eventually dies. Still, DOC is PERSISTENT. DOC decides it is necessary to administer the concoction every month for an entire year; it’s a hard thing to convince people because the children in remission seem perfectly fine until the leukemia returns. Now, parents and doctors alike think he is CRAZY for wanting to make these children miserable by giving them toxic drugs on such a regular basis over a year period. HE DOES NOT CARE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK. HE CONTINUES & PERSISTS. The multiple rounds of treatment works/ 90% cure rate for childhood leukemia. DOC proved them ALL WRONG or did he just BELIEVE IN HIS PLAN. The medical community dismissed his ideas but he proved them wrong. DAVID SLAYS GOLIATH.
Upon his passing, “his wisdom, passion, and exacting standards set a bar for all of us to emulate in our ongoing efforts to end cancer. His legacy will live FOREVER”, remembers one of his colleagues.
PURSUE EXCELLENCE & WIN THIS PITCH!