Richard McKeon

Richard McKeon is a father of 2 and cancer survivor. In this interview, he spoke about his connection to golf that he developed while receiving treatment for Leukemia.

Guest: Richard McKeon

Interviewer: Collette Hemmings

Richard: When I was 34, 10 years ago, I became unwell with Leukemia. It was a quite serious illness. I started to reflect on what I wish I had done with my life. One of my regrets was putting too much attention into work, taking it too seriously, and having too much stress in my life. But my biggest, most overwhelming regret was that I didn’t give golf a chance. This was a strange feeling to have at the time. I remember thinking, if and when I get through this, I want to start playing golf again. I played golf when I was 16 or 17 years old, but golf is a sport that you really need to practice consistently. So, I made the commitment then to start playing more golf. In the last 10 years since my illness, I have started to play more and really enjoy it. Golf is such a mindful sport. You can’t think about anything else. You are forced to hit the ball and walk to your shot. Then you are thinking about your next shot, and you are never really thinking about work or whatever else is going on in your life. Golf has really helped me in my mind in terms of switching off and being more mindful.  

Collette: What would you say has changed about your approach to life after you have started playing golf again? 

Richard: I think I am more aware of stress levels and the impact of stress. Another sport that I picked up when I was ill was yoga. When I was in the hospital, there was a lady there as part of a charity group who taught me yoga. That experience of learning yoga in a hospital was a gift. The benefit of movement while going through treatment was added onto the benefit of coming out of my mind, which was consumed with fear, and into my body. This was huge for me.

Collette: Why do you think that matters, getting out of your own head?

Richard: Because what is in your head is not real. If I had a thought in my head that I was going to die, it was just as real as the thought in my head that I was going to live. They’re both just figments of my imagination. Fear is your mind’s interpretation of the worst possible outcome. It’s not real, it’s just a fantasy. As would be the fantasy that everything is going to be fine. Negative thoughts have a negative physical impact on your body. Mindfulness is really important for this.

It would be easy for me to say that I am much more mindful now than I used to be. I am just more aware now of when my mind is taking over, or my stress levels are peaking. In the past, I assumed that stress was just life. I thought if you wanted to work hard, you just had to accept stress. Now, I am more aware of changes in my body.