Triathlete ‘Iron Dad’ Author, 45, Says His Daughter Brought Him Peace After a ‘Life of Despair,’: Now ‘I Find Joy in Life, No Matter the Odds’

An Unbreakable Bond

• Paul Weigel, 45, author of Iron Dad , writes about the power of the father-daughter bond and how it helped bring him peace after a difficult upbringing and while going through his colorectal cancer journey.
• The college professor, who released his book last month, is now a six-time Ironman competitor and keynote speaker, raising awareness by sharing his story and spreading hope wherever he can.
• Many people wonder if their stressful lifestyle led to their cancer diagnosis. Although stress can contribute to a number of health problems, the evidence that it can cause cancer is weak. However, our medical experts say that stress can decrease your body’s ability to fight certain cancers.
• The American Gastrointestinal Association recently lowered the recommended initial age for a colorectal screening from 50 to 45. Be sure to speak with your doctor about getting screened, especially if you have a family history of the disease.

Paul Weigel, author of Iron Dad , writes about the power of the father-daughter bond and how it helped bring him peace after a "life of despair," and while going through his colorectal cancer journey. Training for and completing an Ironman Triathlon right after finishing chemotherapy, the 10-year survivor's love for his daughter, now 14, inspired him every inch of the way of the world-famous running, biking and swimming race. RELATED : Staying Active During Treatment — New Research Shows Light Exercise Can Make Chemo Much More Tolerable for Patients with Advanced Colorectal Cancer

An Ironman consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.22-mile marathon run completed in that exact order, which is a total of 140.6 miles. Weigel has now completed six.

Paul Weigel's Story

Paul Weigel, according to his website, grew up "isolated with distant and detached parents." He lost his college sweetheart in a tragedy and after the loss of his father, life became just too much to bear. But everything changed for the better when his daughter Natalie was born. A Seattle resident at the time, Weigel's now ex-wife wanted to relocate to Tempe, Arizona. Wanting to spend every day with his daughter, he dropped everything and moved along with them.

He was determined to "give her the love and security he'd never had." So from day one, Weigel "shared an incredible bond" with his daughter. "She was a constant source of peace and inspiration to him." When he was diagnosed with cancer, instead of turning to a "woe is me" mentality, he "chose hope." Wiegel's mantra? "If you believe in the impossible, the incredible can come through." SurvivorNetTV presents: Mile 19 – A veteran’s race to heal The courageous dad "pushed forward, determined to show his daughter true strength and power." He completed his first Ironman six months after finishing chemotherapy." "In Iron Dad , Weigel celebrates the unique bond between fathers and daughters and shares an inspiring story of finding and clinging to the joy in life, no matter the odds."

Surviving for Your Kids — Added Motivation to Fight

A lot of survivors tell us that telling their loved ones was one of the hardest things about having cancer, especially children. How do you keep strong for your kids when you’re simply not feeling strong? Gina de Givenchy says she told her daughter, who was 12 at the time of her diagnosis, the day after she found out. Telling your kids you have cancer “I really wanted her to know that I was going to be OK,” Gina previously told SurvivorNet. “I didn’t want her to see me weak and sickly. It is what it is, you can’t really hide it. But when it comes to your kids, I think you want to protect them.” The pressures of parenthood can be daunting during a cancer journey, but having little ones that depend on you can also provide another source of motivation to fight.

When it Comes to Chemotherapy, Exercise Can Make a Big Difference in Side Effects

As far as another big source of motivation, when going through cancer treatment, a little exercise goes a long way. "There are a lot of myths about what one can do during chemotherapy," Dr. Marleen Meyers , a medical oncologist and Director of the Cancer Survivorship Program at NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet about how to deal with some of chemo's most difficult side effects. "You don't have to hibernate," she continued, noting that when it comes to fatigue, one of the most common side effects of chemo, physical activity can make a big difference. Watch SNTV's 'Stronger for Life' "Lack of exercise actually begets fatigue," Dr. Meyers said. "So the best treatment for fatigue is exercise. And what we have to do is get people over the hump, to get initial exercise going." RELATED : How to Deal With the Side Effects of Chemotherapy Exercise doesn't have to mean rigorously working out. Dr. Meyers said you could start with walking for just 10 minutes every day or every other day, for instance, and then slowly working your way up from there. And always make sure to listen to your body. Don't push yourself. Just know that every day you can get a little bit stronger.

Understanding Colon Cancer

Colon cancer, or colorectal cancer, is a type of cancer that affects your large intestine (colon) or the end of your intestine (rectum). It is the third-most common cancer, according to the American Cancer Society, in people of both genders in the United States, excluding skin cancers. The cancer starts when abnormal lumps called polyps grow in the colon or rectum. These polyps can sometimes change into cancer if you don't have them removed.  It takes up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become full-blown cancer, according to SurvivorNet experts. Common Misconceptions About Colon Cancer Most colon cancers can be prevented if people are regularly screened. The screening usually involves a colonoscopy, in which a long thin tube attached to a camera is used to examine the colon and rectum. If no polyps are discovered, the next screening won't be needed for about 10 years. “We know that colon cancers can be prevented when polyps are found early,” Dr. Heather Yeo, a colorectal surgeon at Weill Cornell Medical Center and a medical advisor to SurvivorNet said in a prior interview. “Lowering the screening age helps somewhat with this, but access to care is a real problem.” The American Gastrointestinal Association recently lowered the recommended initial age for a colorectal screening from 50 to 45. Be sure to speak with your doctor about getting screened, especially if you have a family history of the disease.

Stress & Cancer

Many people wonder if their stressful lifestyle led to their cancer diagnosis. Although stress can contribute to a number of health problems, the evidence that it can cause cancer is weak. However Dr. Yeo says stress can decrease your body’s ability to fight certain cancers. Patients Do Better When They are Less Stressed Additionally, Dr. Yeo says there are some studies which show stress could worsen healing and recovery from surgery as well as affect the risk of recurrence. “We know that when your immune system is down when there’s an excess of stress hormones going on,” Dr. Yeo explained. “Your body has a hard time recovering and cancer takes advantage of that.”