Father's illness provides Evan Lysacek more resolve

• Lysacek and his mom are part of Procter %26 Gamble ad campaign
• He hasn%27t competed since winning gold in Vancouver
• Injuries have delayed his return to competition but he%27s determined to get back

NEW YORK – It was a day to celebrate mothers, but for Evan Lysacek his father is never far from his thoughts. Don Lysacek is battling a reoccurrence of cancer, a fight that has put his son's return from multiple injuries in perspective.

Lysacek was in New York on Monday for the premier of Procter & Gamble's Thank You, Mom campaign, which features Lysacek and his mother, Tanya. The film begins with these words from his mom: "Skating is a sport of failure, regardless of your talent level so you have to fall thousands of times before you perfect an element." Throughout the piece, her son talks about how he never was the most talented figure skater. He was the most determined.

It's a lesson in perseverance he learned from his father, who would remind him he had to win only once. The most gifted skater doesn't always win; sometimes a brilliant performance transcends everything else. Lysacek had such a moment on the biggest of stages winning gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games. He hasn't competed since.

Lysacek's comeback bid was derailed last season by a groin injury and then a hernia which required extensive surgery. He pulled out of a competition in September with an abdominal tear. Earlier this month, he withdrew from Skate America due to a torn labrum in his left hip.

Most athletes may have called it quits after such serious injuries, but Lysacek told USA TODAY Sports that his father's fight against leukemia and melanoma has made him more determined to make it to Sochi.

"He's a tough guy," Lysacek said.

His son shares many of the same traits, Tanya Lysacek said.

A recent bit of good medical news has uplifted the tight-knit family after a difficult summer. "It's been very devastating," Lysacek's longtime coach Frank Carroll said this summer. "It's a very hard time for him."

While skating may be a helpful distraction, Carroll said it's still not enough. "When your dad is (seriously ill), you don't get your mind off it, there's nothing you can do."

Lysacek is back jumping and still has time to make an Olympic run. He needs to post a minimum technical score in an international competition in the next three months to be eligible for the Olympics.

If healthy, Lysacek should have little trouble posting the minimum score in whatever B level competition he chooses. There are several such events throughout Europe beginning in November. The U.S. men have two Olympic spots, with the team being determined at nationals Jan. 9-12 in Boston. Lysacek doesn't doubt he'll be there.

When the P&G spot was filmed in his parents' suburban Chicago home, there were plenty of tears, as the family relived Lysacek's falls and triumphs. "I find myself always talking about my Olympic journey, my Olympic achievement, my goals for Sochi, and the truth is none of those goals would have ever come to fruition and the achievement would not exist without the love and support of my mom," Lysacek said.

The same goes for his father. Lysacek said his father helped him persevere to have that one brilliant moment in Vancouver. Does he remind his father about this? "All the time," Lysacek said.