People run marathons for a multitude of reasons: health and fitness, mental stamina, charity funding, good old fashioned fun. But as they race alongside and past you, it never enters your mind that this person might be racing to build endurance for life-saving medical treatments.
That’s exactly what Tracy Hickman has been doing for the last year as she literally races through chemotherapy. This has been a journey of the greatest endurance for Tracy. After being diagnosed with a very aggressive form of Breast Cancer in April 2019, Tracy had a mere 10 days to come to terms with it before being whisked away to see a Surgeon and start the treatment process.
Racing Through Chemotherapy: A Journey of Endurance
Tracy’s journey through the treatment has been eye-opening as she has pushed her mind and body to the limits in every possible way. Through the pain, tears, and uncertainty, the one thing that has been consistent and kept her grounded in “normality” was her love for running.
With the support of her Oncology Physiotherapist, Tracy used endurance and strength training immediately after chemotherapy sessions to rebuild her health, mitigate side effects where possible, and reduce the risk of lymphedema.
In this episode, she shares her incredible journey with me, from diagnosis, treatment, and side effects, to support systems, revelations, and looking forward. All this tied together with a string of marathons and a hearty dose of endurance like you’ve never experienced. The photo Tracy has shared was taken in August, during the Total Sport Xterra series. It’s a series of 6 races around Auckland, every 3 weeks, during winter. The first one was straight after her first chemo session, so each time she completed chemo on Thursday and then take part in the 6km race on Sunday. Her friend and partner stayed with her as she walked the first few, and ran the last couple.
Listen in to hear Tracey’s inspiring story about her journey of endurance as she literally and metaphorically raced through chemotherapy.
How can people contact Tracy?
- hickmants@yahoo.com
Links mentioned in the show:
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