THE first diagnosis of cancer was OK. Michael Milton was only nine years old and, as he says, he merely lost a leg. The second diagnosis of cancer was not OK.
It was July last year. Among the first mortifying thoughts flashing through his head was the fear that he would not be around for his daughter Matilda's next birthday. Almost as an afterthought, Milton knew his already brazen attempt to transform himself from superstar downhill skier to Paralympic cyclist was over.
Time to quit. Sport was the least of his worries. He really should have quit. And he did. A press release was issued on his behalf, saying: "I've beaten serious cancer once already so I am confident I can do it again. However, it also means I have a pretty good idea of how tough my life will be as I go through the treatment. I'm up for the fight c but disappointed that I will not be able to achieve my goal of representing Australia in track cycling at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games."
It was all over. But here he is. In the track cycling team. Riding for a gold medal tomorrow. No offence, sir, but didn't you quit?
"You get diagnosed, and your life is up in the air," he said. "You don't know if you're going to be alive in another 12 months. But two or three months after my surgery, I had a bit of a sneaky look at Beijing again. I was thinking, 'Hmmm, maybe. I set myself a goal late last year of giving Beijing a shake. I'd worked hard for it before I got sick, let's continue with it.' I couldn't resist.
"Then to be chosen - it was a really special moment for me and my entire family. In some ways, this is the end of the cancer journey. I had a goal, I got cancer, I beat it, I got back to my goal and achieved it. Sitting on the bed with my wife and my daughter and getting the phone call to say I was in the team, it was a very emotional moment for all of us."
Milton had bone cancer as a child. He had oesophageal cancer, with its 35 per cent survival rate, as an adult. He suffered a knee injury earlier this year. Overcame it. Just last month, he had an elevated heart rate: 170 while sitting still. It stayed at 170 for an hour. He was whisked to the hospital emergency ward. It hasn't happened since. His health is still "a bit random". He is not human if he hasn't had stages, plenty of them, when he hasn't thought, 'Stuff this, I really do quit.'
"I ask myself the question on a weekly basis, but I've just never gotten to the point where I've wanted to say, 'Yes, I give up.' I just say it in my head: 'No, no, no."'
His wife Penni is pregnant. Matilda has stayed home with Grandma and the dogs. They have a company together called One More Mountain, with Milton earning a crust as a public speaker. A primary topic of conversation is the value to be had in occasionally telling yourself: No, no, no.
¡ Six-time Paralympian Russell Short, who competes in shot put and discus, will carry the Australian flag in tonight's opening ceremony.
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