David Lee Roth almost dies Climbing

I’ve broken everything twice, just to make sure, and I’ve had seven surgeries, all of them structural. The first three times you go, there’s a whole pit crew in there: four generations including your grandparents, your mom, the wife, the kids, the boyfriend of the daughter, and everybody else.

Fourth time you go in, you get dropped off. I was there for my seventh and there’s a little kid in there with cancer with no hair—and he’s the only one who’s not weeping. And I said to him, ‘How many for you?’ And he says, ‘Three.’ And I went [erupts into mock snickering] and held up seven fingers.

I could see him doing the math. And I said, ‘C’mon—I’ll walk in with you.’ I’ve learned that the only resort against adversity is your friends, and nobody does anything good alone—well, maybe Prince. Laugh to Win.”