My Coachee's Story of Inner Strength and Triumph

One of the women I coach was diagnosed with breast cancer in July. Hers is a story of inspiring personal strength and triumph. With permission, I am posting her email to me from the other day. She credits BeachBody for saving her life, by helping her lose the weight that made detecting the lump in her breast possible. What's more, she is as determined as ever to rock this round of the X!

Thank you for sharing yourself with all of us, hon, and for being such an incredible example of strength! We heart you!

Love ,

Barbie
****

Dear Barbie,

Hello! How awesome to hear from you. I haven't checked my e-mail recently so I just saw this today. I think about you and the whole BeachBody world all the time as well. I forget exactly where I left off in my breast cancer saga...the tumor was 1.3 mm, stage 1, zero nodes (yea!), positive for estrogen and progesterone (that's good actually) and the surgeon is sure he got it all. But it was grade 2, ergo somewhat agressive (stupid tumor) so my oncologist (hard still for me to believe I have an oncologist) recommended 6 rounds of chemo followed by 6 weeks of radiation. Then I go on an estrogen blocking drug for 5 years. For someone who is really averse to doctors, hospitals, etc, this is all quite mind-whirling.

I had a "port" inserted on July 29 to deliver the chemo. As freaky as it sounded at first, I'm actually glad I got the port, since every nurse at the hospitals I've been to has told me that without it I would end up with ruined veins. (Sounds painful and perhaps ugly...remember I'm pretty vain. Oh look, a pun.) I had my first round of chemo on August 5. Felt very tired and queasy for the next couple of days, but all manageable. The day after chemo, August 6, I did Kenpo X!

Which brings me to how much I love Tony Horton and BeachBody. As difficult and life-altering as this summer has been, I could not be making it through this without the X. That may sound insane but it's so true. First, I'm convinced that I wouldn't even have discovered my tumor on my own and early if I hadn't lost 20 pounds with Debbie and Tony. Once "the girls" shrunk, I felt the tumor. Then, after I was diagnosed, I was determined to finish the X. I knew it would take me longer than 90 days, because there were certain days I just could not workout (surgery days, fasting for scans days, the few days where the node cut under my arm got infected and I couldn't lift my arm, etc.) I just kept readjusting the X schedule and moving forward. Now I am in the final recovery week! I did Core Syn today. For me it's day 95 of P90X and I will need until day 100 to finish the program, but I WILL finish it.

Despite breast cancer, I'm in the best shape of my life. I have some actual ab definition. I'm strong. I'm lean. It's incredible. I owe Tony so much. My weight is down to 113, which is really too low for me, but the chemo definitely gets some blame for that. I eat as much as I can stuff in my face before I start to get queasy. I'm eating right now even.

I don't know if you c*aches have some "magic" way to communicate with Tony and Debbie, but if you ever get the chance, please tell them they saved my life. And you, Miss Barbie, are also a part of that. I got hooked on your thread with Ro in January and never looked back. You inspired me to start the X. I think about you a lot.

How are you doing? Are you still in NYC? When do you go back to Texas? How are your boys? Is Ziggy still making you sneezy? Give me an update! By the way, if you happen to be coming to Europe in the next year, please let me know. It would be cool to meet you for real.

The X!

Love and hugs,
screen name Commit2BeFit