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I wasn’t supposed to be a candidate for breast cancer. I eat well, I exercise, and my family has no history of it. I’m also a yoga instructor and the area manager for a plant-based health and wellness company.
Yet, in January of 2020, my doctor called me and told me I had breast cancer. I was sitting on my bed and the news felt heavy and sad. I wondered, how will this affect my life and my husband and our two kids?
I felt like I hopped on a roller coaster ride and became trapped and couldn’t get off.
My doctor recommended a treatment plan of chemotherapy and surgery, and so I started chemo in February. of 2020. At first, I tried to keep my normal schedule going with kids and work, but it definitely began to affect my energy.
Meanwhile, my mastectomy crept up on me. And this part of my journey scared me, considering it would be my first surgery—ever. Because of the pandemic, my husband and family couldn’t come to the hospital, meaning I would be alone during surgery and the overnight stay…
The next day, after the surgery, my family gathered outside the hospital to support me. I could see them in the grass, waving at me and holding signs, which was encouraging.
I was glad to put the surgery behind me, but in quieter moments, I wrestled with tough questions, like, why did I get cancer? Why did my body do this?
And until someone tells me otherwise, this is how I’m going to roll. I’m also learning to slow down when my body tells me to. That’s actually been one positive about getting cancer during the pandemic: it forced me to slow down and let my body heal.
I’m learning to be ok with not always being strong, yet still trying to set goals. For example, I am training to run a marathon, and I signed up for that same race next spring. Yet this time I’m taking it a step at a time to make sure my body is ready.
Before cancer, I might have put it off. But now, if there’s something I want to do, I’m not going to put it off. Because I don’t know how much time I’ve got.
None of us do really.
Thank you to all my doctors, nurses and the very kind souls at the Today’s Woman foundation! What a wonderful and nice surprise to receive a care package from your organization! The past 6 months have been almost unbearable, but thanks to the kindness of family, friends and strangers, life has been easier. Thank you for thinking of me. Your foundation is doing so much for women in need of reassurance. ~ KH
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