dancer * yoga teacher * thriver
I was diagnosed with DCIS at age 50. Although the cancer was early stage and localized, it took 4 surgeries (including reconstruction) to resolve. As a dancer and yoga teacher, I’ve always been “at one” with my body. So the diagnosis hit hard, impacting my self-esteem and self-identity in a very deep way. Friends who had gone through it promised I’d get to the other side, and they were right.
Advice:
Trust your gut. In every transaction – choosing doctors, getting second opinions, deciding treatment options – follow your instinct. Only you know your body, your own feelings and how you will cope with the paths presented. If you want more information, get it.
Keep your sense of humor. Upon my diagnosis, I went from complete medical novice to practically a PhD in 3 months flat. As terrifying as the experience was, I always tried to find what was funny or human in whatever situation. Some of my best jokes came out during moments of fear, surrender or total helplessness. That brightness endeared me to my medical team, and kept me going during the scariest times.
Think: You are more than cancer. I remember going to ballet class, being involved in yoga trainings and working from home very soon after my biopsies and surgeries, wondering, “How can this be?” Remember that you are MORE than breast cancer. I’m a dancer, a yoga teacher, a writer, a wife, a trusted friend, a nature lover, animal lover, music fan … AND I have this cancer I need to deal with. But it’s not WHO I AM. Which is, remember, so much more.
