Now that Eric Lanners is a father, he’s come to fully appreciate the anguish and devastation his own parents felt when they learned their little boy had a tumor and would die in a matter of months. He puts himself in their shoes and feels tremendous gratitude for the choice they made to trust a doctor who led them down a path that ultimately saved Eric’s life.

After receiving the grim diagnosis, Eric’s parents turned to an oncologist who gave them hope – a clinical trial to treat the rhabdomyosarcoma inside Eric’s nasal cavity. They enrolled their 3-year-old son in the study, supported him through two years of treatment and watched him grow up to be a man.

“My parents held onto any hope they could get,” he says. “They jumped on the back of a doctor’s belief in cancer research and with him, were able to defy the odds.”

Eric’s parents provided for him a striking example of the power of hope, and it’s a lesson Eric learned well. His status as a childhood cancer survivor defines the person he is today. Despite health problems resulting from his treatment, Eric remains in top physical shape, competing in triathlons and pushing himself in mountaineering and sea kayaking. He was told he probably would not be able to have children, yet this year he and his wife celebrated the birth of their son, Eli. Eric feels fortunate to be alive and healthy and relishes any opportunity to share his zest for life and inspire others with his story.

“Being a childhood cancer survivor, there’s something inside you – this understanding in life that you can never give up. ‘Quit’ is just not a word for us,” Eric says. “Experiencing physical and emotional trauma when you’re so young has a monumental impact on who you are, and it can be a very positive impact.”

Eric sees the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope™ as an opportunity to tell the encouraging story about the promise of cancer clinical trials, and about people like him who experience cancer and regain their lives to go on to do incredible things. “This story needs to be told to inspire patients, their families, doctors, researchers and those who may one day face cancer,” Eric says.

As he rides with the Tour of Hope Team across America, Eric says he will think of his parents, who faced losing him when he was so very young. “This is something they never could have imagined 27 years ago,” he says.