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May 19

Beating Cancer Twice Inspired Me to Become a Fitness Instructor – Health.com

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The first sign was itchy skin. My thighs itched. My belly itched. Everything itched. I couldnt see any rashes or dry skin, but after two months, the sensation got so bad that it distractedme at work.

I finally went to a dermatologistin December 2007. We considered potential explanations. Could it beeczema? Probably not; I showed none of the classic markers of the disorder. At the end of the appointment,I mentioned that I hada lump above my collarbone. It might be getting bigger, I told her, but I wasn'tsure.

She examined the bumpand told me it was an enlarged lymph node, a gland that helps the body fight off infections. She advised me tosee a general practitionerfor a full checkup. She even called me a few times the following week to remind me.

RELATED: 6 Things Your Dermatologist Wants You to Know About Skin Cancer

So I went to a general physician to have blood work done and take a chest x-ray. Then came additional tests, including a tissue biopsy of the lump.That biopsyconfirmed the last thing I expected: I had stage 2AHodgkins lymphoma, a blood cancerthat often strikes adultsin their 20s and 30s.Itchy skin, it turns out, can bea symptom.

I collapsed into my mom's arms when I got the diagnosis. I just dont want to die, I told her. I was 23, and Ihad so much more life to live.

I started chemotherapy two weeks later in mydoctor's office, enduring12 treatments over six months. Id getthe drugs every other Thursday and take off work the following Monday, when the steroids that were supposed to ease side effects like nausea and painwore off. Apart fromthatand the wig I wore to conceal mybald headI kept my life normal.I went my job as a fundraising event planner and met friends for dinner.

By summer, I was in remission. Yet I wasnt feeling like my old self, andI knew I wanted to get strong again. When two friends told me they were running the Nike Womens Marathon in San Francisco in my honor (fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society), I was moved and motivated. With my doctor's okay,I started to train forthe Disney Half Marathon in Orlando in January 2009.

RELATED: 11 Training Tips for Running Your First Half-Marathon

I admit it was a little crazy. Id been a runner pre-cancer, but I had never attempteda race longer than 10K. Still, I did itI ran the half in two hours and eight minutes. Victory, right? Not quite. The weekend of myhalf-marathon, I noticed a familiar feeling nearmy collarbone.Could thelump be coming back?

I should mention that coincidentally, I'drecently started working inthefundraising department at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), a top cancer hospitalthat my doctor was affiliated with. I wore my wig when I interviewed at Memorialin September 2008, butIdidnt mention that I had been diagnosed withcancer less than a year earlier. I wanted to be hired because I had the skills they were looking for, not my health history. Luckily, I got the job. But right after I ran my half in January, my doctor confirmed that my Hodgkins lymphoma was back.

My doctors told me that treatment would be more aggressive the second time around, and I had to be admitted into the hospital for most of it:two preconditioning chemotherapy treatments were followed by twoweeks of radiation followed by four-day roundsofhigh-dose chemo. "Uncomfortable"doesnt begin to describe the high fevers I struggled with and such severethroat pain that it hurt to eat.

RELATED: 14 Ways to Soothe a Sore Throat

I also underwent a stem cell transplant:acathetertransfers my owncells, collected by medical staffersweeks earlier,back into my body. The hope was that the newly transferred cells would prompt my system to produce healthy new blood cells. It'sa milestone; people in the medical world call the date of your stem cell transplant your second birthday. I celebrated my 25th birthday in the hospital on April 17. Aweek later, I had my 'second birthday' when I got my transplant.

I left the hospital in May and focusedmy life onrecoveryand getting strong again. Ive always loved trying new classes and getting better at old ones. After all Id been through, working outfelt even more rewarding. Nearly everySaturday for the next fiveyears, I'd be at Core Fusion Barre class at Exhaleor sweating it out at SoulCycle.

Myteachersinspired me to develop a level of strength I didnt know I had, and the thrill I feltwhen I realized I was getting better motivated me. With time, I made the decision todevote my life to inspiring others through fitness.In fall2014, I signed up for barre teacher training with Exhale. Two hundred hours later, I was certified.

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In January 2015,I left the security of a full-time job and founded Chi Chi Life. This ismy way of pursuing fitness while keeping up my love for fundraising, event planning, andcancer advocacy. I teach barreat ExhaleandPilatesand TRX classesat Flex Studios in New York Citywhile also working with clientsto plan philanthropic events.

For me, fitness is all about community and connection. Ive run severalhalf marathons since my cancer's been in remission, raising more than $75,000 for causes I'm passionate about. I even ran the New York City Marathon, which took me past the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center building. I wish there were words to capture what it felt like to run past the place that saved my lifeand helped me discover my life's mission.

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Beating Cancer Twice Inspired Me to Become a Fitness Instructor - Health.com

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