HEY CANCER . . .

So I came up with my key words for the race.   You may recall that I always tell myself things like relax your body, open your stride and pick up your feet but that I also throw in "key phrases" to motivate me to push - things attack, pain cave, balls out, I'm in Miami bitch.   I decided, since I spend most of the race holding back so I don't run out of energy, toward the end I'm going to tell myself to turn it loose.  And whenever anyone doubts me (including me), I usually think to myself, well, it's been inside me, so I am going to remind myself all race long that I already have it inside me.

I also figured out what I am going to wear. (As long as I get the right size here in time.) 

There are dozens of races and athletic events for breast cancer. There are even races benefitting ovarian cancer research. Leukemia and lymphoma have the Team in Training crew supporting their society. But us ThyCans - well, we don't get a whole lotta public love.

I try to do my part by speaking openly about the illness.  The biggest thing people don't realize is that thyca means not only do you get surgery (mandatory) radioactive iodine (usually also mandatory) chemo (possibly) and then you get to have thyroid DISEASE for the rest of your life because your body thinks it's constantly hypothyroid since you no longer have one.
And since I don't have an event of my own own, I try to do something at my big races.  At Rock'n'Roll Mardi Gras this February, I sported teal/blue/purple butterfly wings and wore purple accesories so that when people asked about it I could explain that the thyroid is the butterfly and those are our colors. 

But it's also a reminder for myself. Whenever I feel sorry for myself, or forget how far I've come, it helps to remind myself, if I still had cancer there's no way I'd be doing this.

Well, butterfly wings are a bit uncomfortable after 5-6 hours, so this is the shirt I'm going to buy for the race.

It pretty much sums up my attitude.

Hey Cancer.  You picked the wrong Bitch.

Rock'n'roll.



for more information about thyroid cancer, visit www.thyca.org or www.checkyourneck.com