decided to fulfill a dream of entering Jennifer Hendershott’s, All Women’s Weekend bodybuilding competition. Her recently adapted exercise routine and ultra-healthy lifestyle had finally begun to pay off. She was now gaining muscle mass and confidence, and she wanted to have a little breastwork done to contour her body - as a reward for her hard work and in preparation for the upcoming competition. Following a standard pre-surgery mammogram, Angie and her husband learned that she had five cancerous tumors in her left breast. “I was totally shocked,” shared Angie, “We worked out,ate healthy and stayed active and it didn’t make sense.”
Angie’s plans quickly changed from a standard augmentation, with a competition in the fall, to putting down the weights and undergoing a bilateral mastectomy. Angie continued, “Some may not agree with my decision to do the augmentation, but it saved my life. I can guarantee you I would not have gotten a mammogram until after I turned forty.”
Thankfully, the cancer had only reached her sentinel node, the surrounding nodes were clean. So while Angie’s battle is not yet over (she anticipates just one final surgery and anti-estrogen biologic treatments)it was detected early enough to rule out the need for
chemotherapy or radiation.
Angie notes that her strong faith in God has been both a comfort and a ‘medicine’. In the midst of the fight, she is excited to soon join the ranks of the true survivors. “Within the first few weeks after diagnosis,” she shared, “I signed up to walk with the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I wasn’t going to sit back and wallow in self-pity. I now have a team of 28 called Angie’s Angels. I can’t wait to participate in my first walk.
And I promise, it won’t be my last.”
Since the writing of this article I was named the 2011 Team New Balance Member of the Year for my community. I spoke at a local New Balance store during the registration for the Komen walk, I modeled for New Balance at a Celebration dinner prior to race day, and spoke during the closing ceremonies of the Komen Race for the Cure on September 24, 2011. I modeled for my plastic surgeon's October Breast cancer awareness event and plan to continue to get my voice heard on the subject of healing, organic living and beating cancer!
