Last Monday for the Arlington YMCA fundraising and Livestrong program kickoff luncheon, I was asked to share a little about my cancer story and how the Y has helped me. I was honored to be asked to speak in front of many people that I have never even met. Many of my friends have asked how it all went... I actually felt very good about my talk and was more than overwhelmed when I received a standing ovation at the conclusion of my talk. For those of you that were not there, I thought I could at least share the notes that I made for myself:(I introduced myself as a group fitness instructor and told them if I got too nervous, I would calm down if I just made them all do pushups or squats... we got started with a little laugh and I calmed down and was ready to share.)
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I’ve been overweight or obese my entire life until, after havinga daughter, I made up my mind to get healthy. I put on my facebook page that I was on a mission to be healthy throughBible Study, Clean Eating, and Exercise.
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to haveplenty. I have learned the secret ofbeing content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whetherliving in plenty or in want. I can doall this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12-13
My Y Journey:
Jan 2011 – was recruited by Downtown Fort Worth YMCA tolaunch Body Pump first to the corporate offices and then to the members. Took on only one class because I was teachingtwo per week at the time at Golds Gym and subbing Pump both at Golds and LOA.
Feb – Golds shut down very unexpectedly and I startedworking out more and more in both the Arlington and Fort Worth Y’s. Mostly because I was looking for the beststep classes to learn to be a step instructor myself.
March – passed AFAA certification planning to teach stepclasses in addition to Pump and not long after that I stopped teaching pump inFort Worth. My kids just loved coming tothis Y for kid fit and the playground.
June 1 – at probably the most physically fit time in myentire life. I took a step class here and hadmy kids not been so tired I would have driven over to LOA for a late pumpclass. Instead we went home and all didour normal routine. When I woke up onthe next Thursday morning I was in the Neuro ICU at Plaza medical center indowntown Fort Worth and my husband had been through hell. I had had several seizures in my sleep, hehad performed CPR while waiting on the ambulances and I had been first taken byambulance to MCA and then transferred to Plaza.
June 7 – the swelling in my brain had reduced enough thatthey were able to do brain surgery to try and remove as much of the mass theyhad discovered in my brain as possible. It was determined that I hadoligoastrocytoma (two kinds of brain cancer) and they were only able toremove about 30% of the cancer.
While in the hospital the Ditto PTA moms brought me a bigbag of everything – from restaurant gift cards, movie gift cards, bowling,scholarships to camp Thurman, and one that was huge…. A note saying that mykids were given scholarships to any of the Arlington Y summer day camps that they wanted toattend…
After seeing my oncologist in Dallas we determined that Iwould begin an intense 6 weeks of both chemo and radiation to try to slow theaggressiveness of my cancer. I beganthat on July 18th. See, no one tells you that when you arediagnosed with cancer, you also need to win the lottery. Pharmacy bills start to look more like carpayments and are then stacked on top of paying for weekly blood work, monthlyMRIs and oncologist visits, and on and on… At the end of July and August my kids attended 3 Y summer day camps atNO COST to us and loved every minute. It was something I would never have asked or applied for but it was sucha huge blessing because it allowed me to rest without those little worried eyesglued to my every move. Since that 6weeks of treatment I have continued to do one week of monster chemo per monthand I come to the Y several times per week even when I don’t really feel up toit because it is normal for my kids and they love the kid fit program andplaying with the other kids. I love that they get tired too and I cantrust knowing they are being taken care of.
"To die is poignantly bitter, but the ideaof having to die without having lived is unbearable." - Erich Fromm. And at only 33 years old, this has never felt more true!My new life verse:
"Because she loves me," says theLord, "I will rescue her; I will protect her, for she acknowledges my name.She will call on me, and I will answer her; I will be with her in trouble, Iwill deliver her and honor her. With long life I will satisfy her and show hermy salvation." (Psalm 91:14-16 NIV)
We all need to keep in mind what Abraham Lincoln said, “In theend, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
TheYMCA and the Livestrong program fit this quote better than anything else I’veever read: said by the character ThomasHunter in Ted Dekker’s Circle Trilogy“Mostmen and women will yield to the strong currents sucking them into the seas ofruin. Only the strongest in mind andspirit will swim against that current.”
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Like I said, it was an honor to be asked to speak and I pray that the scriptures I shared touched someone and I know that so many people are watching and many are telling me that I inspire them. That feels like a big responsibility, but guess what, we are ALL being watched by someone, especially our kids, so make your actions count for good and keep in mind that the people you are watching will make mistakes because none of us are perfect... encourage and push forward! Thank you so much to those of you that take the time to encourage me, pray for me, and challenge me!
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