‘Survivor’ is a powerful word
Power rests in this title, Survivor. My new friend Natalie confidently says, “being a survivor is a powerful word. We are survivors once we are diagnosed, and I wish more people knew this. We don’t want pity.”
In February 2022, at age 39, Natalie found an uninvited lump. This lumpy interloper introduced a new chapter of seeing and juggling life.
“Once you get a cancer diagnosis, you are a badass, whether you have been in a chemo room once or a 1000 times,” proclaims Natalie. We are parents, daughters, friends, siblings before we are a patient.
Prior to Natalie’s introduction to ports, chemo rooms, radiation machines and scalpels, she spent years mothering a daughter, eating home-cooked family dinners, and playing fetch with their two German short-hair pointers, whose tongues greet her face upon returns from the hair salon. Natalie’s profession as a stylist connects her with diverse personalities. As her hands shape hair, friendships bloom while listening to others’ joys and challenges.
This cancer diagnosis was not on the radar of a young woman who runs and devotes her mornings to meditations, affirmations, journaling and workouts.
I met Natalie during her treatment, months after the breast cancer diagnosis. This gregarious, vocal, playful, curious, and hard-working woman is seeking holistic ways to heal and recover, in tandem with modern treatment. She is striking a balance between patience for recovery and movement.
Natalie was referred to Above + Beyond Cancer by a long-time friend and fellow survivor. “I was shocked by how many programs there were,” Natalie says, and soon enrolled in three of them.
During the Total Training program, I see Natalie improve in range of motion, strength, and endurance. She smiles brightly during class, giving it her best, while holding awareness for short-term limitations. I see her determination to focus on what’s in her control.
“Above + Beyond Cancer helps me feel empowered and encouraged to feed my seeking heart and hope. Even it doesn’t prevent recurrence, it will help me manage fears and anxieties.”
Natalie also attends our new program for Young Adult Survivors, and says, “I find excitement in getting involved in Above + Beyond Cancer, because of a mutual understanding that never has to be explained. This is comforting for me.”
Natalie shares that deciding on reconstruction or not was difficult. “I came to the conclusion that of course I’m going to have a new body. I also have a new perspective and clarity. Society is judgmental to the female body, and I have decided no one’s words will penetrate my head, because my body has carried me through all of this. My body has endured more than I thought it was capable of. I’ve come through the process with more self respect and better boundaries.”
Natalie adds, “I didn’t expect me to embrace this like I have. This is badass.”
Natalie is a badass survivor; learning, laughing, authentically sharing challenges, and seeking ways to heal and grow, in body, mind, and spirit.
I am the Program Director and Certified Cancer Exercise Trainer for Above + Beyond Cancer, a non-profit that provides free programs to support the Optimal Health for cancer survivors, caregivers, their family, friends, and community. These programs include yoga, meditation, wellness coaching, tai chi, reiki, sound healing, cooking classes, book club, cycle club, Kinstretch, Urban Pole Walking, and a Total Training Class for Cancer Survivors, which I co-lead. To learn more and how to get involved visit our website or email mary@aboveandbeyondcancer.org
