"An astounding collection of adventures and observations, woven into a dramatic account that helps to clarify some of the mysteries of our nation's recent history....Hamilton's story offers a rare combination of insight, wry humor, and real inspiration." -- Jimmy Carter, in the Foreword Hamilton Jordan has had a life full of personal struggles, from firsthand encounters with racial hatred in the Civil Rights-era South to exposure to Agent Orange as a civilian volunteer in Vietnam and his tumultuous years as the youngest chief of staff in presidential history, under Jimmy Carter. But a more powerful opponent has defined Jordan's life -- cancer. Three times in the last twenty years he has been diagnosed with the disease: non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, melanoma, and prostate cancer. Each time, Jordan credits early detection, being well-informed, and keeping positive as the keys to his survival. In this beautifully written book, Jordan weaves together his remarkable life to date with the uplifting story of his victories over cancer. Moving, inspiring, and powerful, No Such Thing As A Bad Day is a read that no one will soon forget. The Wall Street Journal Anyone with half a mind or soul will cry, laugh, and learn. Vanity Fair Wise and touching. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Titles come and go, and White House chiefs of staff can exit faster than they entered. But Jordan, at fifty-five, would have you believe he has larger fish to fry than congressmen and Cabinet secretaries wanting fifteen minutes with the president of the United States, not to mention the door-pounding Washington media....The architect of Jimmy Carter's improbable nomination for the presidency tells how quickly power and position fade to irrelevance and how one's sense of proportion can change. The Wall Street Journal Jordan serves up wise counsel, instructive insights, and important hope to the millions of American families afflicted with this dreaded disease. Along the way, he offers delicious, sometimes biting, political perspectives. Library Journal Sound, upbeat advice...[Jordan] offers cancer sufferers and their families ways to combat the disease by...being positive and proactive. The Huntsville Times (AL) An inspiring journey of a man who feels lucky to be alive...a story worth hearing and a story worth reading. Hamilton Jordan (1944 - 2008) spearheaded Jimmy Carter's successful campaign for the presidency and served as the chief of staff in the Carter administration. He is the author of the bestselling Crisis, which recounted Carter's secret negotiations to free the American hostages in Iran. After leaving Washington, DC, he became an investor, adviser, and board member for a variety of successful companies and start-ups. Chapter One: Part One FIRST TIME AROUND I remember it like it was yesterday. I was lying in my hospital bed. My doctor had just left to review the tissue report with the pathologist...he promised to come back within the hour. I had been in the hospital now for five days and had had every test in the book. And it all came down to a person sitting in a laboratory somewhere peering into a microscope at my cells and deciding what kind of cancer I had...and whether I would live or die. Would it be curable, or even treatable? Would I have a fighting chance, or be left to hope for a miracle, racing around the world to off-beat clinics searching for a cure? My dear mother and sister made small talk to pass time. A nurse's aide brought in a form for me to fill out evaluating the hospital services. "Have you enjoyed your stay, Mr. Jordan?" she asked. "I'll tell you in an hour," I joked. She didn't understand. I found myself knotting up the bed sheet in my hand. The emotional mask that I had been wearing for my family's sake was close to being shattered. Just to escape, I turned on the television and surfed from channel to channel, hoping to be distracted, and was startled to see a picture of myself on the local CBS affiliate. I turned the volume up in time to hear, "CBS has learned that former Carter aide Hamilton Jordan is in an Atlanta hospital and has been diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer." Panic gripped my body as I looked at an old photo of myself on the television screen and these strange words sunk in. My mother's face dropped and my sister watched me closely for a reaction. Then logic returned. If my doctor, who just left my room, didn't know what I had, how in the hell did CBS News know? Like so many other times, the media had only half the story right. The panic caused by the news report subsided as we continued to wait. Suddenly, my room was flooded with doctors: the oncologists, my pulmonary specialist, the radiologist. I tried to read them like a jury...one was smiling slightly, the others were not. What did it all mean? The radiologist broke the ice. "Hamilton, when more than one doctor comes into your room, it is usually pretty good news." "All I ever wanted was a fighti