Imagine being a tournament tennis player, ranked in the state and predicted to turn Professional in a few years. Your life-long dream – at 14 years old – is to be a Chris Evert-Lloyd or a Tracy Austin. Then there’s a pain in your knee. Two weeks later, your leg is amputated due to Childhood Bone Cancer. Crushing, ya think? No. It wasn’t.
While my Professional tennis-playing career didn’t happen, I did live – and now aim to inspire others everyday! With only 1% chance of survival, I beat the odds – a “miracle”, Doctors say. Yes, I underwent Chemo and Radiation therapy and lost my hair. But I knew those therapies would help me live longer, and my hair grew back. As a kid, that was important. I was also blessed with faith, family and friends – and the determination to get back on that tennis court, even with a prosthetic leg.
So today, 33 years later, I not only play tennis but also rock climb, ski, dance (actually danced in the Rio de Janeiro Carnival) and am more active than most 2-legged gals, excuse my “blunt-ness”. Attitude is (almost) everything. With it, I beat that damn disease at 14 years old, and again, 5 years ago, with Breast Cancer. While “2-timers” are not positive references, I’m proud to be one; it means I beat cancer twice. Including tennis matches, there couldn’t be a better 2 set match to win – with a smile. That’s the match of life.
THIS WAS TEXT SUBMITTED TO THE BEACH REPORTER, TO BE HIGHLIGHTED ON THEIR WEBSITE FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. This may be the Forward to my book.....www.adriennespeaking.com