Garage Logic (Gamut Podcast Network) - CRABBY: Former St. Paul Mayor And Senator Norm Coleman Joins Kenny And Jay To Discuss Cheating Death
Date: December 4, 2025

Episode Overview

In this compelling episode of Garage Logic's "CRABBY" podcast, hosts Kenny Olson and Jay Kolls welcome former St. Paul Mayor and U.S. Senator Norm Coleman to share his profound journey of surviving cancer, staring down death, and facing life’s curveballs with resilience, humor, and gratitude. The conversation covers not only Coleman's multiple cancer battles, but also a harrowing boating accident, reflections on mortality, and tales from his days revitalizing St. Paul. The tone is candid, warm, occasionally irreverent, and frequently uplifting—a conversation between old friends about survival, gratitude, and the importance of community.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Norm Coleman’s Cancer Journey

• Initial Diagnosis (02:29–06:18)

  • Coleman recounts his diagnosis in September 2015 after persistent throat irritation, leading to the discovery of tonsil cancer that had spread to lymph nodes (stage four).
  • Quote: “I come back, and it’s a cancer in my tonsil area… They say, ‘Yeah, you have cancer in your tonsil, but it is now also traveled to the lymph nodes in your neck.’” — Norm Coleman [03:22]
  • He credits Mayo Clinic’s innovative protocols and team for early treatments that focused on reducing the side effects of chemo and radiation.

• Recurrence and Escalation (06:18–11:38)

  • Cancer returned in his lungs and then recurred a third time; each round involved more intensive treatments, surgeries, and eventually, partial lung removal.
  • Quote: “Third time’s not a charm.” — Coleman jokes [06:20]
  • Throughout, Coleman highlights the importance of reconnecting with friends and colleagues during his regular treatments. He describes these relationships as a “blessing” that emerged from his illness.

• Immunotherapy and a Miraculous Turn (11:04–17:33)

  • After multiple treatments, immunotherapy becomes available—nearly just in time for his specific cancer type.
  • With regular PET scans, another suspicious growth appears at the original site; doctors finally tell him there’s no further curative option, suggesting palliative care.
  • Quote: “They said we can’t do anything more. Go to the cabin and get ready to die, essentially.” — Coleman, recalling his doctors’ advice [12:57]
  • Days later, after a Yom Kippur of prayer and missed calls from Mayo, he learns the new growth is a rare benign tumor, not cancer—a true medical and spiritual miracle.
  • Quote: “If Mayo says you're going to die a week before and then come back the day after you’ve been praying... and then you find out you got a two in a million benign... this time.” — Norm Coleman [16:00]

2. Reflections on Facing Death

• Processing the ‘Death Sentence’ (18:03–23:19)

  • Jay and Kenny ask Norm to unpack his mindset when told to “get ready to die.”
  • Coleman describes deep reflection, practical considerations about family, and overwhelming gratitude rather than fear or self-pity.
  • Quote: “It wasn’t, oh, woe is me. This is so terrible. What am I going to do?... It was, wow...what a blessing—look at my whole life.” — Coleman [19:43]
  • He notes a profound shift: the initial diagnosis in 2015 was met with shock and fear, but years later he found peace and thankfulness for all he’d experienced.
  • Quote: “When I first found out, it was woe is me, I’m gonna die. I was in tears. And 10 years later: no, not at all.” — Norm Coleman [21:44]

• Discussion on Readiness for Death (22:02–27:23)

  • The group discusses what it means to be “ready” to die—both Kenny and Jay reflect on their own heart scares.
  • Living with daily gratitude and a new perspective, Norm says, “Every day, I start every day with gratitude. And so…this whole process has kind of brought me to a point of greater gratitude rather than greater…fear or greater anger.” [22:43]
  • Jay echoes how his own near-fatal heart attack mellowed him: “I’m much calmer… I’m so thankful for everything that’s in front of me… it just brings you to a whole other level of almost relaxation.” [26:39]

3. Brush With Death: The Boating Accident

• Detailed Account of the Lake Ada Incident (29:13–33:59)
  • Kenny prompts Norm to tell the story of almost drowning when another fishing boat rammed his on a nearly empty lake.
  • A sequence of one-in-a-million quirks—his back fish finder not working, his sitting at the bow—meant he could dive clear as the other boat struck. The automatic life jacket saved him.
  • Quote: “If my fish finder’s working that day, I’m dead.… But for whatever reason, God put me in the front of the boat.” — Coleman [32:34]
  • The group riffs about being rescued by “Republicans” on the lake, in typical Garage Logic fashion.

4. Coleman’s Mayoral Legacy & Revitalizing St. Paul

• On the XL Energy Center (36:39–38:33)
  • Jay recalls covering the building and expansion of the arena.
  • Coleman explains how it revitalized downtown, calls it the “sun” around which commerce and life revolved, and expresses optimism for St. Paul’s future—even with a mayor from the other party.
  • Quote: “It was like the sun and everything, all the planets that go around it... It’s critically important to the lifeblood of the capital city.” — Coleman [37:08]

5. Personal Reflections, Humor, and Camaraderie

• The episode is shot through with friendly ribbing, laughter, and nostalgia—from shaving heads after chemo to joking about political signs in northern Minnesota.
• The hosts underscore how rare and special it is to engage so openly with a U.S. Senator about “real life.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On gratitude and survival:
  “Every day I wake up and I am thankful, God, for giving me this day and then move on from there.” — Norm Coleman [02:29]

• On being told to prepare to die:
  “Go to the cabin and get ready to die, essentially, yeah. Is that right?” — Jay, summing up [12:49]
  “That’s what… they said we can’t do anything more.” — Coleman [12:57]

• On spiritual timing and miracles:
  “Monday is Yom Kippur... On that day, I turn off my electronics... Next morning, Mayo says... what you have this time is not squamous cell cancer... It’s a two in a million benign growth.” — Coleman [14:36 to 15:58]

• On acceptance and perspective:
  “My whole life...that period of seven days...of great reflection, but of great gratitude.” — Coleman [19:43]
  “When I first found out, it was woe is me, I’m gonna die.... 10 years later, no, not at all.” — Norm Coleman [21:44]

• On the boating accident:
  “If my fish finder is working that day, I’m dead.” — Norm Coleman [32:34]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:29 — Norm recalls first cancer diagnosis
• 06:18 — Recurrence and treatment escalation
• 11:04 — Immunotherapy & the “furrowed brow” moment
• 12:57 — Doctors’ ‘palliative care’ verdict
• 15:14 — Yom Kippur, missed calls, and prayer
• 15:44 — Rare benign tumor revealed
• 18:34 — Reflections on mortality and gratitude
• 22:09 — Are you ready to die now?
• 29:13 — Boating accident story
• 36:39 — Revitalizing St. Paul & XL Energy Center

Tone & Style

• Conversational, candid, peppered with humor and humility.
• Strong themes of faith, resilience, gratitude, and friendship.
• Relatable stories of life-threatening moments, laced with the irreverence and warmth typical of Garage Logic.

Useful for New Listeners

This episode is a deeply human conversation about survival, perspective, and gratitude. Whether you tune in for Norm Coleman’s unlikely second (and third) chance at life, Minnesota history, or simply the camaraderie of three “old guys” swapping war stories about cheating death, the message is clear: every day is a gift.

Closing Thoughts

“It's fun being alive, isn't it?” — Kenny [38:59]

Norm Coleman’s story is not just about beating cancer or surviving a freak boating accident—it’s a testament to resilience, the power of medical innovation, the value of deep friendships, and the importance of finding humor and gratitude even at the edge of the unknown.