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These real women have done incredible things despite cancerand sometimes even because of it.
Has cancer inspired you to make a move and go for something big?
Dana developed breast cancer at 32; Colleen was diagnosed at 27.
They call their project Lifeitup365 and have been chronicling their adventures on Facebook using the hashtag #lifeitup365.
How it has helped:“2015 has been the most amazing year of our lives.
Jessica tested positive for the BRCA-1 mutation at 34.
She died less than two years later.
However, she decided to have a double mastectomy.
She wrote a beautiful and touching book about her experience,Pretty is What Changes.
More than once I was asked, “Do people think that you’re crazy?”
I have since become a national advocate for high-risk women.
Now, at 45, no one asks me if I’m crazy anymore.
(Angelina Jolie helped make my choice mainstream.)
I’m healthy and no longer have the terrible shadow of cancer looming over me.
And my magnificent daughter, Sophie, just started kindergarten.”
A week after she graduated from Berkeley, Corey found out she had lung cancer.
She had never smoked had run several marathons with zero symptoms.
Fortunately, she has able to take advantage of targeted therapies.
She takes a pill and hasn’t needed chemo, and her recent scans are clear.
She’s also an active member of theLUNG FORCEinitiative.
It requires you to be very in the moment."
In 2012, her back went out, landing her in the ER.
The ribs around her sternum all showed evidence of repetitive fractures and healing.
What she’s done:Her wife suggested that she try cycling.
Dawn started riding, and in 2014 her wife signed them up for the Tour de Pink.
They plan to participate in this year’s race, too.
I had never ridden more than seven miles.
The first time out, I went four miles and started sobbing.
But I kept at it, because I’d like to ‘live’ again.
I’d like to see my daughter graduate high school.
I did the 200 mile ride last year–I probably only finished 135 of those miles.
It was the hardest thing I have ever done.
I cried up every hill, and laughed down every hill.
It was god-awful amazingly therapeutic and freeing.
I came in last, on the last day, and I have never been more proud."
Christine lost her fiance, David, after his 6-month battle with acute myeloid leukemia.
Just six months after David’s death, she participated in TNT with her brother and raised $20,000.
How it helped:“I didn’t know what to do, I just needed to run.
It was how I grieved.”
At 34, Mary was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma.
She found the lump during a routine self-exam.
Her oldest son was then just seven months old (she was still nursing him).
What she’s done:Mary wanted to become a fitness instructor since she was 25.
She signed up for the certification program with Les MillsBODYATTACK(a sports-inspired cardio workout).
She passed in May and is now leading fitness classes and motivating others to exceed their limits.
But even more, it has taught me that I can doanything, regardless of my medical history.
I tell people all the time, ‘Cancer doesn’t define me."
And it doesn’t.
Amberly was diagnosed with breast cancer at 28, a few months after giving birth to twins.
She’s pursuing her doctorate in nursing with a focus on global health (graduation is in sight!
What happened:At 18, Alicia found out she had pancreatic cancer.
I felt a responsibility to tell my story of survival.
So many people came up to me and told me I was their hero!
Yet every time I hear it, I feel warm inside."
Robyn found out she had stage 3 breast cancer at 34.
Her four-person team raised over $8,000 for the YSC.
What it meant to her:“I felt amazing training for the 200 miles of cycling.
I feel alive when I ride, especially going down the hills and mountains.
My kids also saw their mom overcome the physical challenges that cancer brought to me.
Cancer is hard, but it doesn’t change what I was inside.”
Amanda was diagnosed with breast cancer at 30.
Seriously, way,wayoutside of my comfort zone!
I continue to push myself.
I’m so excited for the future."
At 35, Lindsey was diagnosed with breast cancer.
I never thought I would ever do a triathlon.
Then I told myself, I beat cancer, I can finish a triathlon!
I have lost friends to this awful disease and have learned to live life until I die.
I will not let cancer define me; it will only contribute to who I am today."
What happened:Jenna was diagnosed with breast cancer at 28.
She’s also writing a book that highlights women’s inner “chemo fashionista.”
What she’s learned:“Having this cancer has really put life into perspective for me.
Just because you have cancer doesn’t mean your life is ending.
I have learned that it’s better to embrace the journey than suppress it.
I wasn’t going to let cancer stop me from achieving my dream.
I feel so lucky and blessed that we were given this opportunity.
It’s been a very difficult year.
I never want to take my time for granted again.”
What she’s done:Tracie was rooted in St Louis, Missouri her whole life until cancer.
It was her comfort zone.
Then she remembered a man she’d admired on Instagram.
She made a move by “liking” a few of his photos.
He then messaged her on the app to thank her.
After talking back and forth for a month, Trace drove eight hours to meet him.
A year later, they’re engaged.
What she learned:“Cancer gave me courage to do something I never thought possible–leave home.
I gained a love of my life and his two beautiful children because of cancer.
Cancer made me open my mind to things.
It made me continue to want to face my fears head-on.
It made me want to see all the world I was missing by staying in my safety bubble.”
Norma had to have surgery a few days after finals; her professors suggested she take an ‘incomplete.’
What she’s done:She crammed her finals into three days and graduated with honors.
She’ll now finish grad school in 2016 with a master’s in athletic training.
Norma plans on making it her mission to help cancer survivors get back to physical health post-treatment.
I strive to be the best and smile as much as possible while being a badass!"
What happened:Nancy was diagnosed with breast cancer at 42 and had no immediate family to support her.
Her father had passed in 1993 from leukemia.
Her brother committed suicide in 2010 and her mother died of lung cancer six months after that.
Only a little over a year after, while she was still grieving, Nancy got her own diagnosis.
Alone and trying to navigate the world of cancer, she was overwhelmed.
She began volunteering for them and realized that her story could inspire and help others facing cancer.
She’s currently studying at the University of South Florida and has a 4.00 GPA.
