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Thank you but pink is really not my color
Views: 957Added: Mon. Sep 14, 2009 12:29pm
Posted in: Breast
As I was playing around with the format of this blog I thought I would stray away from pink and go with yellow background which represents the Sun, Springtime,rebirth and daffodils to me. Pink was never my color being a tom-boy growing up and especially after my breast cancer diagnosis it dropped down several levels in my 'Desire to use' colors list. Give me one more goodie with a pink ribbon you will risk my 'you gotta be kidding me' look. I have enough scars (7 of them to be exact from 4 surgeries with 1.5 years) mapping my body to remind me everyday where I have been, do not need additional reminders. Not that I have a problem with people who love the pink ribbon and even get it tattooed on themselves, everyone has a different way of dealing with the darn c this is my approach.
Writing and being active are two of my AO(adult onset) passions so I thought I would share the role that Women Playing for T.I.M.E. had played during my path to recovery from breast cancer treatment (letters b&c have not been capitalized intentionally) since I owe this awesome group of women a lot as you'll see. I also wanted to give a little background on the path leading up to my bc diagnosis two years ago.
Imagine:
- Being a tomboy growing up with lots of energy however not being allowed to enter sport teams due to parents of other kids thinking that psoriasis is contagious.(which cleared up after puberty)
- Not having a structured outlet of energy hooking up with other 'bored kids' and starting smoking at an early age.
- Yourself in an all-girls strict school being a tom-boy not being able to expand your energy in positive directions due to your -so called- medical situation
- Gaining substantial amount of weight in your 30s.
- Being blessed by a wonderful husband and two wonderful daughters
- Suddenly deciding to take control of your health in your mid 30's
- Quit smoking cold turkey
- Start on the path to exercising and watching your nutrition.
- Losing 40 pounds, getting really into triathlons (thus the TRIGEEKlicence plate which I still keep)
- Completing your first Ironman event which consists of 2.4 mile swim, 112 Mile bike, 26.2 mile run.
- Qualifying for the ITU Worlds USA team (just because I was too hardheaded to quit in the heat not because I was ever fast)
- Racing under the US team in Sweden and completing several triathlons between 2000 and 2007 including 4 Ironman events.
- Starting Sculling with Orlando Rowing club enjoying watching the sunrise and greeting the day on the water
- Leading spinning classes at LA Fitness for 2 years and sub- instructor for Yoga/Aerobics
- Getting certified by Beryl Bender Birch as an Ashtanga Yoga instructor
- Getting regular mammograms, ob-gyn exams yearly with no warning flags
- Getting diagnosed with breast cancer in a routine mammogram 3 weeks after completing Austria Ironman on 25 July 2007 2:30 pm.
- Going through bilateral mastectomy, chemo, radiation. Like my mom said it was like a hurricane hit me.
- Discovering Kundalini Yoga and the ashram in Altamonte a perfect road to recovery. I started practicing 4 weeks after surgery and I owe my fast mental and physical recovery attending their breathing and very low intensity upperbody opening practices throughout my treatments .
- Feeling like you have completed an Ironman every other week after each chemo- surprisingly the feeling was exactly the same. Feeling after each chemo=feeling after ironman -- totally floored
- Training friends for triathlons during chemo and treatment, spreading the fitness bug
- Still leading some spinning classes at LA Fitness wearing a bandanna with participants sometimes warning that I have 'lost' a drawn brow lol..
- Finding yourself at a very interesting fitness level after all treatments have completed.. not knowing how to really get back on the fitness wagon there is no guidance for survivors like me either
Then I receive an email from Orlando Rowing Club announding WPFT's effort on getting together a Survivor crew team to participate in the Corporate Regatta.
This was extremely symbolic because MD Anderson took me off the water for my surgery on August 31st 2007, and now WPFT related with MD Anderson is giving me the opportunity to get back on the water which was my 'zen' way of starting my day before all this happened. There was no way I was going to let this go pass so I replied and I stepped on a sweep boat for the first time in my life (I had always wanted to do it but I was mainly sculling single up to that point) We had a crash course and lots of frustrations, laughs on our boat with incredible patience from the most awesome coach I have known so far - Laura Riekki. And we were able to finish the event without capsizing or getting disqualified( although my husband said we looked like a bug that had just been sprayed with pesticide.. all oars moving differently)
This was all I needed. A jump start ! WPFT acted as a catalyst to my road back to fitness. A couple months later despite some medication induced injuries (femara causes joint problems) I started doing triathlons again and now am a member of the Central Florida Warriors on Water dragon boat team again coincidentally an initiative sponsored by WPFT. ready to give it all I have ! And yes I am still rowing in the local sweep boat with Andrea !
WPFT: Thank you for being there and please know that you are having a significant impact on the Survivors lives whom you have touched even if you might not hear from each one of us individually !
Jackie
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Posted 8:59pm September 28th, 2009Aylin --
You are an amazing writer. You pull no punches and tell it like it is, something so many of us are afraid to do. You're a warrior and your story is so inspiring. Thank you for sharing it and I look forward to reading your future blogs.
I can't wait to see what hurdle you're going to demolish next!
Susan
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Posted 9:35pm September 15th, 2009This is a amazing story, Aylin! The comparison of sports to chemotherapy is interesting to me. I would not have thought of this analogy, but it makes me think that athletes must be much better prepared psychologically to undergo strenuous treatment protocols than those who are not so active - simply because they take stress on the body as a given. I have often thought (and been told) that yoga is a discipline I should become involved in. I would like to talk with you about it sometime.
Andrea Eliscu
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Posted 8:24pm September 14th, 2009All I have been able to do is read this 4 times and try to swallow around the lump in my throat. What a story of Aylin's life course. What a brave trooper with a vision to be a warrior.