Mother’s Day brings me a mixed bouquet of feelings these days.
I was told I had cancer on Mother’s Day weekend, in 2018. The nurse at Chilliwack General Hospital wrote a ‘doctor’s note’ telling my three sons to give me extra TLC, and that note remains in my home today.
All these years later, my Mother’s Day will be decidedly different from that dreadful one. I’ll be taking part in my first-ever Run for Mom, and in doing so I’ll be back on track to where I was going before I became ill. And because I like to overdo things, I’m pairing that event with BC Cancer’s Workout to Conquer Cancer, a May-long challenge to move every single day.
Take that, cancer. This mom means business.
It’s been nearly a decade since I’ve been so active. For the year or two prior to diagnosis I had been slowly drained of my energy and quite frankly, my will to live. The majority of cervical cancer cases are of the slow-growing, life-depleting variety. Mine stopped me from doing the things I loved.
On top of being sick, I wasn’t able to do what made me happy on a chemical-inducing level. I tried to rally myself as I recovered from treatment, but things were looking pretty bleak. Health issues piled up, and while the cancer was gone, my health was still in jeopardy.
But that final appointment with my oncologist (followed by a weekend of casually chatting with Ryan Reynolds, but I’ve told you that story) was a proverbial tap on the butt from a teammate to get out there and just kill it.
READ MORE: Message from Ryan Reynolds helps Abbotsford News reporter celebrate end of cancer journey
I had a new goal: Get so healthy and strong that if cancer ever dared to revisit, I’d just stomp on it again.
I transitioned from survival mode to thrive mode, and so doing the Run for Mom’s 5K just makes perfect sense. The run is in its 24th year, yet somehow I’ve never dragged myself from my children and their unwavering love, handmade gifts and chocolate for breakfast. Turn that down to go exercise? Hard pass.
I also never really thought I could make it that distance, if I’m being honest.
But things are different now. I know I can run that distance because I’ve done it. I’ve been working on my endurance, my breathing, my form, my strength.
I bought a gym membership, and I actually use it.
Last fall, I felt confident enough to join a 5K run in Abbotsford, and I managed a respectable beginner’s time. Then this spring I put myself through a gruelling run of the circumference of the Chilliwack Community Forest. I even went for a gentle run to explore the trail for the upcoming Conquer the Vedder event (with apologies to Gary Robbins, I will not be competing this year but am marking it on the list for 2025 events!)
READ MORE: Chilliwack’s Conquer the Vedder growing into two-day event
I had signed up for the Vancouver Sun Run, but bowed out days before due to an almost-healed case of bursitis in the knee. I didn’t want to set myself back, and definitely didn’t want to miss out on the Run for Mom.
That’s because while it’s a small goal, it’s an important one that is near and dear to my heart. All the money raised goes to support moms and babies at our local hospital, through carefully thought-out purchases via the Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation.
Then the other day I got an email from BC Cancer, and was moved to signed up for their Workout to Conquer Cancer. A daily challenge that involves some accountability is just what I need to get some consistency back after this knee injury. Plus, any money I raise goes to an agency I wholeheartedly believe in. Win win.
While I wouldn’t use this space to ask for donations for either cause, I will use it to urge everyone to book the cancer screenings that are applicable to you. Don’t know which ones you need? I am sure Google can help.
But best case scenario, you will read this and it encourages you to find a personal goal, make a plan, and achieve it. And if you let me know about hitting that goal when you get there, I promise that your success story would propel me off the couch, too.
Finally, I hope to see you on the Vedder Trail on Mother’s Day. For more information on how to get involved in either fundraiser yourself, visit fvhcf.ca or workouttoconquercancer.ca.
READ MORE: Chilliwack’s annual ‘Run For Mom’ fundraiser set to go on Mother’s Day