Time for an Update!

I'm having trouble coming up with a way to adequately sum up how grateful I feel for the unbelievable outpouring of support I have received since my last post. My freezer is full of donated paleo meals, I've had people reach out to me that I don't even know, and I can't even count the number of people who have offered to give me a ride or keep me company.

Within hours of telling you all about my cancer, coach Jen had organized a fundraiser on my behalf to be held at our box, CrossFit Altitude in Burlington. The fundraiser was an enormous success; Justin and Chris concocted a math-themed workout for everyone to do (I beta tested it before my treatments started, it was awesome :), there were silent auction items, bracelets with "kicking cancer one snatch at a time", and custom designed (thanks Shawn!) and printed tshirts (thanks Carrie!).  There must have been a couple hundred people, many from other gyms, and they all donated far more money than felt worthy of accepting. I'm not normally speechless. I was then, and still am when I think about it.

It's been over a month now since my diagnosis, and I've had some time to reflect. Those reflections are summarized in the Nov/Dec issue of Sweat RX magazine, which you can order from their website or find at your local Chapters/Indigo, so I won't repeat them here. But suffice it to say that I found myself fortified and, in turn, inspired by the response of others to my original blog post. Thank you all.

The Fund, and Future Fundraising

I now have a comfortable buffer to counter any expenses that arise that are not covered by OHIP thanks to my incredible crossfit community. When I am better and am sure I don't need any more of it, I will be donating the remainder to a fund that I found created specifically to support research into this very rare cancer that no one is researching (small cell carcinoma of the cervix or SCCC). They have tried to do trials in the past, but they could only find 3 participants at one time and had to cancel it! The first project of this fund was an educational website for people with this cancer, and their families and doctors, compiling what is known. The next big project is to create a registry of past and present sufferers of this cancer to compile all of their treatment and outcome data. The creators of this fund also started a facebook support group, which has been a really wonderful place to meet and talk to other people facing the same things.

We are also currently working on having "Love the Snatch; fight cervical cancer" tshirts (featuring my silhoutte performing a snatch!) made up and printed to raise more funds. The first printing will be sold at CompWOD's Best of the Best competition on Nov 16. The shirts are great quality, the design looks great, and who doesn't love a good snatch joke, am I right?

How I've been doing

I thought it might be helpful to summarize how things have been going. You're still allowed to ask me in person, I don't mind :) I finished my second round of chemo last week and have one more to go before radiation and, honestly, it's hasn't been too bad. I get 3 days of IV chemo in a row, then 2.5 weeks off. In general, I sleep about 10 hours these days. Treatment week, I'm extra tired and just take short walks. I don't feel much like eating but I'm simultaneously starving because of the steroid. I mostly only feel like eating soup type meals, and crave a lot of bread and potatoes (I would kill for a saltine), but have been able to stick to the ketogenic diet (starving my cancer cells, woot!). I'm eating very normally except for treatment week, and haven't lost or gained any weight.

By one week after treatment I feel pretty normal again and am able to do short workouts. I've been keeping a log and will report on these eventually. I don't set an alarm anymore, I sleep as long as I need to, but I've been able to work part time in between treatments, which I'm glad for because a person can only watch so much TV! I've been able to go out for dinner, hang out with people, and otherwise live normally. I just sleep longer, take naps, and have an excuse to do so, which is probably the best perk of this whole ordeal!

The weirdest side effect has been some numbness in my hands and slow/weak muscle response, but that goes away after a week as well. Fingers crossed it will continue to do so in future rounds. My radiation will start mid-november and hopefully it will be just as painless.

How I found out

One of the first things people seem to ask me is how I found out. Since cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and can often be detected earlier than most, I don't mind sharing. In May I went for my regular annual physical, and the doctor did not see anything abnormal. I did not get a pap at this time, because paps are only every 3 years now and I had had a normal one the year before. In principle, I am very much against this change in policy, but my particular cancer tends not to show up in paps in the pre-cancerous "abnormal cell" stage like many others do, so it likely would not have made a difference in my case. In June/July I noticed bleeding outside of my cycle that seemed different. I went to the doctor again in August and asked for a pap and exam. She could see the tumor, and sent me to the gynocologist right away for a biopsy. The gynocologist took one, but was convinced it was just a fibroid given its rapid appearance; most cervical cancers grow much more slowly than my mutant variety (aren't I just the overachiever). Obviously she was incorrect, although I'm not in the least bit upset with her. I would rather have spent that week believing it was no big deal than all stressed about it waiting for results.

After about a week the labs came back and at my follow up appointment I was told they were cancerous, and that there was no chance of error. I was given an oncologist referral and told nothing else except that the cells had been sent out to be confirmed because they thought it might be some rare type. I remembered the words "small cell" and had an inkling that was not a good thing. Thank goodness I had the sense to avoid the google worm hole because the recurrence rates for this beast are not rosy. I feel extremely fortunate that someone recognized the rare cells right away so I avoided some of the experiences of other women with this cancer who were told it could be swiftly disposed of with a simple surgery, before it was discovered to be Sccc. The course of treatment is very different and much more aggressive than your typical case. I also am very fortunate to live in this area where my case was immediately forwarded to a doctor who has dealt with it several times before. With so little information available, most women with this cancer become guinea pigs. My doctor has been successful with his course of action, and seemed confident that he would be so again.

So here we are. Two rounds of chemo down and not too much to complain about so far!

The WOD

Here's the blog post for my fundraiser WOD. Thanks for all the warm and fuzzies guys :)

This wod is the Brain Child of Justin O'Quinn and Chris Lindley- the explanation behind it is as follows...

Jen really hates double unders but she conquers them regardless of how many are in a wod or how long it takes.  This determination will help in her battle.  There is no one like Jen when it comes to doing things with good form and never giving up.  I think her middle name is persistence.

The rep scheme is because Jen is a self proclaimed "math nerd" and PI is her favorite number- "3.14" . The variety of movements is to represent the hard work and effort that Jen puts into all of her skills and her attention to form on everything she does.  There is a total of 3 rounds, representing the 3 of Pi, and the 141 double unders represents the .141 (71 +70)/  When you do this wod today, remember to use good form like JY would and to count all your reps fairly- JY would never cheat a rep- so nor should you! 

JY-Pi: 3.14 "LOVE THE SNATCH- FIGHTING CERVICAL CANCER ONE SNATCH AT A TIME"

For TIME  The time cap is 26.19- this is how long Jen took to do it.  Weight on the bar is 135/85- if you are up for the challenge then scale UP!! 

71 double unders

Then 2 rounds of
3 power snatch
14 box jumps
3 full snatch
14 toes to bar
3 overhead squats
14 burpees

Then 1 round of
3 chest to bar pull ups
14 power cleans 85/135
3 hand stand push ups
14 full cleans
3 pistols per leg
14 jerks

Then  70 double unders