A Breast Cancer Journey -- By: Lisa Bradley, Personal Trainer
A Breast Cancer Journey
By Lisa Bradley , AFLCA Assistant Trainer and Personal Trainer
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Fitness is my job and I love my job. Water, step, TBW or ball classes are what I do. I am a leader and educator. In January 2010 my job title changed to “Princess Warrior” fighting breast cancer. |
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I had tons of support from family, friends, colleagues and class participants. I even had women who had done the “breast cancer dance” hold my hand and give me excellent guidance. On January 5th, 2010 I had a life-changing mammogram. I was about 5 weeks late with my annual mammogram due to a vacation. In the time that I had seen my doctor for my physical in early November until my mammogram I had developed a dimple on my left breast. I had been having mammograms and ultrasound religiously for 11 years. There was absolutely no family history. I ate well, got lots of exercise and rest. Neither my mammogram in 2009 nor the physical exams by my doctor or me revealed the 2.7cm mass that was growing in my left breast. This really made me question the diagnostic ability of mammograms. I now understand that they save lives. Have you had yours recently? It was reported by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation that in 2010 there would be 23,200 women diagnosed with breast cancer. Think about it- 1 in 9 women will be diagnosed. Can you visualize a group of 9 friends…..? Who could it be? I was one of those 23,200 women. |
I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. My surgeon told us that that is the most common type of breast cancer making up 70% of all the cases. My mass was originally thought to be 1.5cm but it turned out to be 2.7cm.
My surgeon gave me all the surgical options- lumpectomy, mastectomy or bi-lateral mastectomy. All these choices confused me. After much discussion with family and my terrific husband, it seemed like a no brainer. Why did I want to hang on to something that was trying to kill me? Because I had a scare the year before on the other side, I opted for a bi-lateral mastectomy. This decision was also about reducing the risk of recurrence. I just wanted to live and decided I was prepared to do whatever gave me the best chance.
“At present, the five-year relative survival rate for female breast cancer in Canada is 87% (84% for men) which means that women diagnosed with breast cancer have an 87% likelihood of living for 5 years after their diagnosis.”
(Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation)
The surgery was actually easier than I thought it would be- physically. Emotionally it proved to be very difficult and I can’t count the times my husband just held me while I cried.
A few weeks after surgery was the beginning of chemotherapy. Fatigue, constipation, taste changes are all side effects of chemo. You also can’t forget about the loss of your hair. Bald was easier than I thought. They have found pretty good ways of dealing with most of the side effects so overall chemotherapy was not as bad as I thought it would be.
Chemo treatments happen once every three weeks. You feel kind of lousy and flu like for about 4 days then you have a bunch of days where your immune system is at risk as your blood counts return to normal. By the time you are ready for your next treatment you feel almost normal again. Then “bam!” time for another treatment.
I do believe that friendships and a positive mind set helped me get through this as well as I did. I also believe that being fit going into it helped tremendously. During the journey I found it difficult to get much exercise in- but that was compared to what I used to do. I know that all the studies say that exercise helps reduce your chance of cancer and I will continue on exercising to further reduce my chance of recurrence or another kind of cancer.
My Breast Cancer journey started in January of 2010. It is now October 2011 and my life sure looks different than it did at this time last year. I am stronger, healthier and happy to be living in the moment. Today I teach 3 bootcamp classes a week, along with water classes, personal training clients, walking our dog a zillion miles each week, go on fabulous vacations and enjoy socializing with friends and neighbors. The process of breast reconstruction has begun and I almost feeling normal again. Breast cancer survivors have to find a “new normal” as we will never be the same. Our bodies are different. Our energy is different. This becomes our new normal.
I put this out to anyone who is affected yesterday, today or tomorrow- if you need someone to talk to- I am here and always with open ears. I know and understand that everyone’s journey is different. Because I am a leader and have had this experience I am honored in my job to be able to help other people through their health journeys and challenges. Even through this life-altering event there is something positive and meaningful about how this experience has helped me use the talents and skills I already possess to lead others in moving forward.
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