Me, with Mary and Barbie.
So what do you do when you've had a lumpectomy? Compete in a skating competition.
From my facebook post:
I feel so weird doing these posts, but the whole damn thing feels weird anyway, so here we are.
Good news is there was no cancer found in the three lymph nodes they took during surgery. The site of my lumpectomy is healing well, if anything a bit more swollen. Leave it to me to get breast cancer and my boobs get BIGGER.
Bah dum tiss.
Bad news is I got an upgrade in my status from stage 0 to stage 1a, as one of those little bastards decided to break through the duct wall to see what else is going on. So I went from noninvasive to invasive. Merde.
What I did get permission to do is resume normal activities to my comfort level. Did yoga yesterday without drama; it felt good to reclaim my body. Going to try spin today. And because I need to do it for me, I’m skating in a competition tomorrow because why not.
If it appears I’m flailing, it may be bravado in place of bravery, just know I’m trying.
It was Event 1, Silver Ladies Light Entertainment. And I hadn't been on the ice in two weeks.
During the warmup, I nervously attempted a couple of jumps, and was relieved that it didn't hurt. Spins were fast, centered. Relief washed over me, the words of Scott Hamilton on my mind: rely on your training.
Now it was time to focus on presentation.
I skated second, after Mary but before Barbie. Wearing an old dirty shirt, bandana, and carrying a storage box, the program was to portray me finding my old prom dress while cleaning, reminiscing about that night and then boom, shedding the work clothes to reveal me wearing a prom dress and sash. The Prom Mix: Crowded House, Beastie Boys, Billy Idol, Madonna, Wang Chung, The Dream Academy, and Simple Minds. I engaged the audience and the judges.
Now it was up to the judges. And I had no time to pause, I was judging starting with event 6.
First place.
Now I've gotten plenty of gold medals before, but truly none have meant as much to me as this one. To be honest, I think even the silver or bronze would have meant a lot to me, but the win was sweet.
I could have withdrawn, but I didn't. I could have given myself a break, but I my concern was if I gave in to cancer this one time, how much easier was it going to be to give in again the next time? I didn't want to know.
