A Great Speech About Life, Death and Never Giving Up

Legendary ESPN anchor Stuart Scott has died at age 49 after a long fight with cancer.

At the 2014 ESPYs, Scott talked about his seven-year-long battle with the disease in an acceptance speech for the Jimmy V Award. The speech is a moving and honest reflection of what it’s like to live with cancer.

“When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live,” he said. “So live. Live. Fight like hell. And when you get too tired to fight, lay down and rest and let somebody else fight for you.”

Here’s the video:

The speech runs nearly seven minutes.

Scott started working at ESPN in 1993. He continued to work during his cancer treatments after he was first diagnosed in 2007. At one point in the speech, he talks about his most recent hospital stay:

“I just got out of the hospital this past Friday. Seven day stay. Man, I crashed. I had liver complications. I had kidney failure. I had four surgeries in the span of seven days. I had tubes and wires running in and out of every part of my body. And guys when I say every part of my body — ev-er-y part of my body. As of Sunday I didn’t even know if I’d make it here. I couldn’t fight.”

He said the support of his family, friends, and bosses helped him through these hard times.

“This whole fight, this journey thing is not a solo venture. This is something that requires support.”