Editor's note: After she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Lori Johnson decided to treat it as an athletic event — like the triathlons and marathon relays she liked to run — and train to overcome the disease. She's sharing her thoughts, and some of the journal entries she wrote after that 2009 diagnosis.

Sometimes things didn't go as planned, because cancer had its own agenda. But I stuck to my original thought process of how I needed to take this on. I knew my response would set the tone as to how I moved forward. In my mind, I was running my marathon and needed to listen to my body.

It didn't matter to me that others passed me in the race; I kept mindful of how I felt. I've learned that running at someone else's pace or pushing myself too hard through an injury only landed me in physical therapy and delayed my ability to run pain-free. I've learned that if I needed to walk, I did; if I needed water, I drank; if my knees and hips hurt, I slowed my pace.

Some of my best runs didn't have my fastest times, but when I look back at the photos of my favorite events, I was always smiling. I was in complete harmony with my body. Cancer was not going to throw that harmony off. It could try, but as I sat in the quiet of my mind, listening to what I needed and tuning out the noise that surrounded me, I knew I was being true to what was right for me. This was my race, and I knew how I wanted to run it.

Journal Entries:

November 2009
Adding a Few Extra Miles
I've just been informed that my marathon is going to be a little longer than originally planned. My biopsy results did not show clear margins, so I have a re-excision scheduled for Monday. It's a brief stop for a Power Bar and water ... a short walk to catch my breath ... and then I'm going back at it! Remembering to breathe ... to pace myself ...

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers through this crazy time!!
More soon,
Lori

December 2009
Another Re-Excision — Regaining My Stride
Second surgery is done! Margins are clear! I can put a big check mark next to that hilly terrain! Today I pause at the water station, ice my aches and pains and pop some Tylenol. I've deemed wine as the new Gatorade and will enjoy a glass tonight. Please join me in a toast wherever you are! Cheers!

As I catch my breath, I will strategize the rest of my run. I plan to start back in with a brisk walk and will slowly regain my stride. I will soon be in the zone and running with ease. I have a Genetics appointment to better understand some new terms that have been thrown at me and discuss the potential for any additional miles to this marathon. I am gearing up for the final six-week leg of radiation in January and February.

Thanks for running with me!! Hang in there — we're almost done!!
Lori

Share Your Thoughts

Did your cancer treatment go as planned? Or did you have to adjust your "pace" along the way? Share your comments below.

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About the Author

Lori Johnson grew up in Germantown and later moved to Menomonee Falls, where she attended high school. She is a graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and received her master's degree at UW-Whitewater. Lori has been married since 1996 and has 1 daughter. She works as a speech pathologist at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. From a young age, Lori has lived her life as an eternal optimist. She is the "maker of lemonade" when confronted with a roadblock of lemons -- always finding the bright side. This attitude was truly put to the test when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 at the age of 43. She underwent a lumpectomy and two re-excisions and completed radiation. In 2012, Lori's cancer returned and she opted for a bilateral mastectomy. Along with her friends and family, the "Lobby Ladies" were there for her through round two of this breast cancer event. Lori continues to live with gratitude for each day, finding gifts within everyone she meets and strength from obstacles she encounters.

Topics & Tags:
Cancer

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