Hey Queens 👑
I just want to send you all a massive heartfelt THANK YOU for showing me so much love and support last Fri 5th via QDQ Insta, it meant so much to me in a day where I was feeling so vulnerable 💖
That particular Friday, I was back in the hospital having another cycle of chemotherapy and my emotions were running riot on me! I want to be fully transparent and honest here so you understand where I'm at. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Inflammatory Breast Cancer, age 37 in January 2017. My treatment is live and ongoing having started with aggressive chemo and a medically induced menopause in 2017. In December 2019, I had to have a mastectomy of my right breast followed by 25 rounds of radiotherapy in February 2020 (just before Covid19 kicked off). Unfortunately, I had another recurrance in October 2020 in my liver and this is the treatment I am currently undergoing. Bascially, I am working my backside off to try kick cancer's ugly ass and live my life as best I can, living with a metastatic illness. It is one crazy, scary rollercoaster that I am on and I refuse to get off anytime soon 😊
This past week has been super tough both mentally and physically grafting my way through the side effects of treatment, it never gets any easier. When I signed up to Queens Don't Quit last year, I'll be honest, I wasn't in the best headspace, my mojo was so flat and I kind of dipped my little toe into classes but never fully committed. I've been following along watching all you amazing Queens celebrate and smash your respective goals yet still doing nothing about my own. I am pleased to say I finally got my act together since January with the Spring challenge, my exercise mojo is alive and kicking again and that really is down to the community here. Maeve has such a great style of encouraging a beginner like me who is starting from scratch all over again, to feel comfortable working out in my front room alongside a fellow Queen who is intermediate or advanced because at the end of the day, every single one of us is a Queen through and through 👑
I'm mindful I've shared detail here that is very personal to me but I wanted to be honest in case any of you amazing Queens might be struggling right now with anything that is personal to you. Back yourself and trust that you can get through the difficult days, trust that whatever storm you might be navigating right now will in time pass. Remember to breathe and let things go, you are truly stronger than you know and that is beautifully powerful.
Cancer has stripped me of so much of my feminimity and has impacted every single aspect of my life. I simply refuse to allow it take anything more from me so I'll see you in the morning for Glutes & Gains, my first class in over a week ouch...but I am feeling very grateful, so lucky and super excited for our Queen week ahead 😊
BTW...if you've got this far, thanks so much for taking the time to read 😊
Orla X
