David A. Koop's Blog

Learn what Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly and his wife, Congress women Gabby Gifford shared with me last night.

What an amazing evening… Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly and his wife, Congress women Gabby Gifford have two very compelling life stories to share, and share they did. Mark’s story started with his youth as a semi juvenile delinquent son of two police officers in New Jersey, to joining the Navy and becoming one of our nations most experienced pilots. His flying brought him home safely after 39 combat missions over Iraq and 5 trips on the space shuttle, with stay overs on the international space station.

Gabby has been the CEO of her family’s business, worked in the Arizona legislature and as a Congress woman for the People of Arizona in Washington DC. The aftermath of the attempted assassination against her proved once again what a powerful and determined women she is. Mark spoke for most of the evening and Gabby closed the evening out, without wasting a single word. Each thought that she shared was focus on us and compelling to each and every member of the evenings audience.

Needless to say if you ever get the chance to hear them speak do not hesitate to confirm your seat because the two of them will take you on a ride that you will not soon forget. Lucky for me, my Oncologist, Dr. Pierce is one of the main moving forces in this group and with his help I was able to get Mark to sign a copy of their latest book (Gabby – a Story of Courage and Hope) for me and I was able to give them a copy of my book; Cancer It’s a Good Thing I Got It!

What a night it was… David A. Koop

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below… What do you think about it all?

Real Hope and Change

 

I must be honest and tell you something I was losing hope of ever being able to say…


I made it through the nerve surgery on my lower spine up at OHSU and everything
went very well. I am at home now and starting to think about things that …
have long been set aside. Like being out of bed long enough to get some real work done.
Like having the energy to actually do that work. Maybe someday I can get on a plane
with Carrie and take a trip, not having to worry about crying like a baby from the pain
caused just by sitting on the plane for a few hours.


Don’t get me wrong, after spending most of every day in bed for the last few years my
body needs lots of work to get back into shape. And yes I know that this just two days out… But.


Here is the news that I was losing hope of ever saying, I have been able to reduce
my morphine by 40% and my pain right now is only 20% of what is has been for oh so long.


Just getting started on this new leg of my journey and I have no idea how things will go on
day three or week two or even next year. But right now I have something that I was
dangerously low on… HOPE.


I love all of you… thank you for all of the kind words and prayers. They all mean so much
to me and I need them all. I pray that you have something to be hopeful for today also.
Thank You… David A. Koop

So I lived through the 4th Annual NW Book Festival!

Once again it was held in Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square. It was a fun event for the public and all of the authors that were chosen to be there. Over 50 award winning authors and several NW publishers, a book binder and some small book stores. Because space was tight and I only had one book to share this year (yes it will be more next time… watch for news) I agreed to share my booth space with the people from Portland Book Review. We could not have asked for a more fun group of people to work side by side with.

The event had a dual purpose; an author event for NW Authors, The 4th Annual NW Book Festival by Veronica Esagui, DC and it also served as a fund raiser for Schoolhouse Supplies a non-profit organization that serves classrooms and students in need by operating a volunteer-run Free Store for Teachers, stocked with supplies donated by the community. Music was provided for the event by Return Flight who seemed to do a never ending list of songs that you found yourself signing along with. The music was great and I think it helped to draw in members of the normal downtown crowd that might not have known that we were going to be there. But on occasion, the volume made it hard to talk with customers.

Each time that the MAX train stopped at the square they seemed to unload yet another group of potential customers that weaved and winded their way through all of the tents of authors and others in the square. It was great to see such a diverse group of people coming out in the beautiful summer sunshine to learn about all of the different authors, listen to the music and eat the food by donating school supplies or by tossing a five dollar bill into the kitty for Schoolhouse Supplies.

Many of the people who stopped by to speak with me had either themselves or someone in their life who had been touched by cancer, so my book seemed like a perfect fit for them. For the others who had no need for a book about cancer I was able to share with them one of the more recent reviews that my bestselling book has received. Finding much more than just one man’s story about his battle with cancer, “The Perfect Guidebook for 100% Living While You Are Alive” is the description given by Dave ”The Shef” Sheffield a reader from the Midwest.

So the final report was better than we would have thought because my book speaks so well to both groups of readers. We sold all of the paperback books and only had 5 of the hardback books to carry back to the car when it was done.

So what is next?

Conversation Crossroad hosted by Garrison Leykam will feature bestselling author and renowned public speaker David A. Koop. The show will air July 31st at 7pm EST. If by chance you miss the live broadcast you can download the pod cast. Please click the link below to see all of the details about this great show on Gender Differences. You will leave the show with ideas and tools that you can use to help you create the type of successful partnerships that you long for in your life at home and work.

 http://conversationcrossroad.com/?p=5333

The link will be live for podcast downloads long after the live show is over, so click it.

Here is the link for a Pod Cast

I was interviewed by John Kremer. He is the author of 1001 ways to market your book

and he speaks at conferences all across the globe. This interview is about some

of my successful book marketing ideas that John has seen me implement.

Click here for access to the Podcast

David A. Koop (COPE) is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and a Certified World Class Speaking Coach. His life has been anything but typical. He ran away from home when he was fifteen, yet became a successful serial entrepreneur by his early twenties. He never graduated from high school or college, yet taught law as an adjunct professor of law at the Denver University College of Law.

He was given a cancer diagnosis and told to get his affairs in order, and he once again proved his resolve and beat the odds. Today, David shares his life stories and the keys he has discovered to unlocking the life that we all truly desire.

His bestselling book, Cancer It's a Good Thing I Got It!, is full of humor and occasional grief. In his book and his speeches, David shares adventures from his life and the experiences that formed a man able to battle and defeat terminal cancer with an unwavering positive attitude. David shares ideas and tools that inspire and enable audiences to make changes in their lives in order to live the life they dream of.

Together with his wife, Carrie, David founded The Someday Group, dedicated to helping men and women recognize that TODAY is the someday they have been waiting for! Their workshops teach people how to have meaningful and lasting partnerships at home and in the workplace.

Check out their website at http://www.somedaygroup.com.

 

 

 

Cancer as a blessing – who knew? After a divorce and custody fight for his only child, David Koop fought the real battle – one his life depended on. Doctors told Koop to get his affairs in order because the race was almost over, and it was not going to be a smooth finish.

But Koop was not giving in. He had waited a long time to be a dad, and a cancerous mass at the base of his spine was just an obstacle, not a life sentence. Cancer: It's a Good Thing I Got It! is not only Koop's story of his cancer, but also the introspection which healed emotional wounds that were as real as cancer. Koop started to see the positive aspects of his illness, rather than the panic that sought to steal what moments he had left.

Koop instructs friends and family of cancer victims how to treat those who have cancer, what cancer victims need to hear, and how to give them support. He writes about dealing with pain – chronic, unbearable physical pain – and depression. This book is honest and inspiring, and the author doesn't sugarcoat the realities of chemotherapy or his surgeries…

Sheli Ellsworth, Portland Book Review

Cancer as a blessing – who knew? After a divorce and custody fight for his only child, David Koop fought the real battle – one his life depended on. Doctors told Koop to get his affairs in order because the race was almost over, and it was not going to be a smooth finish.

But Koop was not giving in. He had waited a long time to be a dad, and a cancerous mass at the base of his spine was just an obstacle, not a life sentence. Cancer: It’s a Good Thing I Got It! is not only Koop’s story of his cancer, but also the introspection which healed emotional wounds that were as real as cancer. Koop started to see the positive aspects of his illness, rather than the panic that sought to steal what moments he had left.

Koop instructs friends and family of cancer victims how to treat those who have cancer, what cancer victims need to hear, and how to give them support. He writes about dealing with pain – chronic, unbearable physical pain – and depression. This book is honest and inspiring, and the author doesn’t sugarcoat the realities of chemotherapy or his surgeries…

Sheli Ellsworth, Portland Book Review

USA Book News Covering Whats Hot & Noteworthy in the World of Books!

USA Book News is featuring Cancer It's a Good Thing I Got It!  Among its Hot & Newsworthy in the world of Books. Author David A. Koop is very excited to receive this honor, "I hope that this recognition for my book will help expand the reader base."

There are messages in the book that can benefit everyone weather they have a serious illness in their life or not. The fact that the story involves cancer could lead some readers to steer away from the book, but the book offers so much more for readers who take the time to explore this man's journey and his lessons learned along the way.

You can find out more about Mr. Koop and his book at www.somedaygroup.com

Out of the box thinking!

I have to tell you… I really do enjoy getting to meet readers. In this case soon to be readers of my book. It was a fun evening with good food, great wine along with a reading from my book. Many of the audience members were very engaged so much so that the question and answer session lasted much longer than expected. It's easy to lose track of time when you are having so much fun. The location was instrumental in creating that dynamic audience experience.

As you know I have been trying to do a little out of the box thinking when it comes to sharing my message. This night's location was a very cool wine bar, Santiam Wine Company. Located in Salem Oregon they have a very committed group of regular customers who now benefit from their newer bigger location. No longer just the premier wine shop in the mid-Willamette valley, you can now wine and dine as the larger location allows for top notch bistro fare and special events like a bestselling author stopping by for a reading.

We got to meet and chat with a lot of people and have been able to stay in touch with a few including Ken and Candy. He is a skipper; yes I am a sucker for any boat with canvass (maybe even a modern equivalent). Candy is the CEO of a pharmaceutical company still putting her shoulder to the grindstone and keeping those jobs in the USA.

One very special member of the audience has retained me to provide the Keynote address for their annual conferences.

 Debbie thanks for making it such a great time and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Readers Favorite

Book Reviews and Award Contest

RE: #5378 –  Four out of Five Stars

Reviewed by Lori M for Readers Favorite

Naturally, the title was the first thing to jump out at me. Why would anyone be glad that they had cancer? Then as I read David Koop's story, I understood completely what he meant by the title. The reason I picked this book up is because I had melanoma last year and was seeing an oncologist this year expecting a diagnosis of some sort of cancer. Several months and dozens of tests later, I'm happy to say that I did not have cancer, but like David Koop, I had started to prioritize things in my life and get ready just in case.

I can picture the author when he talks about thinking he had won the lottery only to discover that his number was 14 and not the winning number 41, then later to find out that getting 5 out of 6 numbers only netted him 631 dollars instead of 12,500,000 dollars. He laughs about being mad over winning 631 dollars. He finally had put things into perspective.

While reading the book, I could definitely relate to the author. A Type A business professional who is told that he might not live much longer certainly has to humble himself and get a new purpose. I'm glad that Koop was able to undergo that type of self-assessment that makes him a fighter instead of a victim. It was good, too, that he found someone to share his life with, because that's certainly an incentive to keep living.

A Mile High Review For Best Selling Cancer Memoir  – Cancer: It's a Good Thing I Got It

            David Koop, by his own admission, is a very lucky man. Despite a difficult childhood, a painful divorce, and any number of personal setbacks, Koop was always able to rebound, pick himself up, and move on to even greater successes over the course of his career.

            In his personal life, Koop also reached what was, for him, the pinnacle of  success, with the birth of his son. But that achievement looked short-lived, as Koop was diagnosed with an often fatal form of cancer. Determined to see his son grow up, Koop underwent surgery and treatments that left him weakened, sick, and unrecognizable even to himself. But he didn't die, and today he and his new wife Carrie (also a cancer survivor) are motivational speakers who want the world to know that where there's life and love, there's always hope.

            Cancer: It's a Good Thing I Got It is written in a conversational style that most readers will enjoy; it's as if they were sitting down in the author's kitchen and sharing a cold beverage (or two) with him. It's more than just the story of Koop's battle with cancer, however. It offers Koop's personal philosophy of life and how to live it, and is filled with entertaining anecdotes from his life and the many career paths he has followed, from working in the timber industry to becoming the nation's "guru" of the prepaid legal services business, as well as many others.

            Cancer: It's a Good Thing I Got It provides those facing any kind of physical or other adversity a vision of hopefulness and restoration. And it offers a deeply moving portrait of a father's love for his son, and one man's unfailing ability to believe in the power of something greater than himself. 

Joe Meirzwa,   Colorado