Q&A: Real Magic’s Jesse Lipson shares his side about wife’s colon cancer battle

RALEIGH — It’s one thing to be the person with cancer. It’s another to be their partner, in the passenger’s seat on a harrowing journey with little control over the destination.

That’s the current reality for Jesse Lipson, husband of Brooks Bell, who at 38 just revealed that she is battling colon cancer and is stepping down as CEO of the brand consulting firm that bears her name.

A constant by her side, Lipson is going through this ordeal while also growing his new software startup, Real Magic. He sold his earlier startup, ShareFile, to Citrix for $93 million back in 2011.

The couple recently shared what’s it’s like to go thorough this experience together. Here’s what they had to say:

Brooks, Obviously, it’s a lot to handle as a couple. How’s Jesse been?

He’s definitely been on this journey with me. We’re on the same page. He also recognizes that my odds are making it through this are very good. He just moving forward and we’re both trying to make sure we ‘re savoring every day. The nice thing is, hopefully by learning how to savor our days now, we’ll have another 60 years of knowing how to do that, and our lives will be even better as a result.

Jesse, tell us what this has been like for you as a partner.

I’ve had a few experiences in my life that have taught me no matter how much you think you’re in control, you are always just one phone call away from your life totally changing. Hearing the doctor tell us that Brooks had colon cancer brought me right back that lesson. The hardest part of the journey was the three nights between her CT Scan and the news about whether her colon cancer was Stage IV or not. During that time, all of the things in your life are just in state of suspension until you learn more about what your path is going to be.

I think being entrepreneurs has been helpful for both of us in dealing with this news. We’re both used to dealing with high stress situations and uncertainty as part of our jobs and so with the exception of a few emotional moments, we’ve both looked at this as just another challenge to overcome.

Raising awareness about colon cancer … Jesse Lipson and Brooks Bell (center) walked in Gear Your Rear in Gear – Raleigh 5K Walk/Run fundraiser at Wake Med Soccer Park this weekend.

Jesse, you are also in the early stages of growing your startup, Real Magic. How are you managing to juggle it all? Are you stepping back at all?

I’m not stepping back at all, but I have a really great team of people at my new company, which has allowed me to take time off to help Brooks during and after her surgery and her upcoming chemotherapy.

You’re a high-profile couple in the startup scene. Is it hard to go through something like this in such a public arena? And how do you cope?

Brooks: I am not embarrassed or shy about having this happen to me. Getting cancer is not my fault, and it’s not a sign of weakness or bad decisions, and I feel like the community has my back. It it is giving me a huge dose of empathy for other families and people who are touched by this disease, and a much deeper appreciation for how serious this disease is. I love that I can use our standing in the community to bring people along with me on this journey. This is the best way to help educate people on how to prevent it from happening to themselves in the future

Jesse: Brooks made the decision fairly early on that she wanted to be public about her cancer so she could hopefully educate others and help them prevent colon cancer themselves. I think in many ways being fairly well-known in the community makes the whole process a little easier because we feel the support and energy of the community so strongly.