Cancerwise

Before I retired from teaching in May 2014, I was very active as a soccer and volleyball coach. I’d do push-up competitions alongside my junior high students and join them on the court or field as they practiced, then rollerblade or play recreational adult league soccer afterward. I did six or seven sprint triathlons, too, over the years, which have shorter distances than the regular ones. 

Then I injured my right arm somehow, and suddenly, I couldn’t open doors anymore or even grip a steering wheel. The doctor said I had an atrophied nerve and a bulging disc. I lost the use of my triceps on that side for a while. The only thing I could still do was walk. So, I kept on coaching, but didn't return to recreational sports.  

After finishing treatment for triple-negative breast cancer in 2022, though, I joined the Active Living After Cancer (ALAC) program at MD Anderson. It inspired me so much that I got back into sprint triathlons. I completed my first one in 15 or 20 years on Aug. 31, 2025. I also placed first in my division. 

My triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis

I found out that I had breast cancer through a routine screening exam. It was the fall of 2020, not long after the COVID-19 pandemic started. I was so worried about getting sick that I almost cancelled my annual well-woman exam.  

I’m really glad now that I didn’t. I have dense breast tissue and have had multiple cysts, so most of time, I need an ultrasound instead of a mammogram. This time, though, the technician saw something suspicious in my left breast. So, I needed a diagnostic mammogram, too, as well as an ultrasound and a breast biopsy. 

When the results came back, the diagnosis was stage II triple-negative breast cancer.