cancer Archives - TinaOLife

100 LOVE

March 25, 2016

Sending LOVE to those who have walked the path, still run against time, or are now at rest.

There is LIFE after cancer.

Pledging $20+ in the name of your loved one supporting:
Goal #1 $1000 for Can Too (Vancouver Triathlon)
Goal #2 $2500 for the Ride to Conquer Cancer

As a survivor, I swim, bike and run for them, because I still can.

I’m a cancer survivor.

Truth is, I hate that term, but it’s a story people relate to plus, it’s true. In April 2015 I was diagnosed with stage 3 tonsil cancer, HPV p16 immunostaining. Highly cure-able, yet grueling in treatment. I was warned by my doc, my ear nose and throat doc and the oncologist about all that was coming so I was prepared. It was a disgusting process for sure (I won’t get into that now, but if you want to know more I’ll share my story here later). In July 2015 we finished our final treatment and I’m humbled to say that we all made it, and I’m not just talking about ‘not dying’, I’m talking about, we’re all still ‘living’. Me and my family of five, my friends of many, and my community of plenty made it through together and we’re all just that little bit more inspired to be ALIVE today, thus TinaOLife was born.

This 100 Love campaign marks the beginning of my ‘cancer as life-catalyst story’ that found me. I often say, to whom much is given, much is expected, and unfortunately, sometimes what we’re given isn’t always the ‘good’ stuff.

I was given a lot:

To welcome fear to the table, to acknowledge disease as a guest, to choke down the very humanness of treatment, stare into the eyes of helplessness from those who love you the most, choosing to show up in action-yet surrendering to the process, to question: why me? To feel guilty, experiencing survivor remorse as one who seems to have side-stepped the destruction, and to carry on as a survivor (I still feel like I don’t deserve to say that), and knowing that I am so much more than the survivor label because I can still DO something.

So now I am giving back.

I’m 8 months out of treatment with an ‘all-clear’ petscan, everything presenting that we got it all and a stellar prognosis on the horizon, and so today I am choosing to celebrate this awesome body of mine that came back from being broken to celebrate what it can do PLUS pay it forward.

Today I am honouring those who have come before me: your family members, your friends, and your loved ones who have walked this cancer path, those who continue to race against time with their care providers and specialists doing their utmost to keep them alive, and those who are now at rest. This is a pledge page. This summer I will SWIM, BIKE AND RUN in their honour, and I’m asking you: Whose names can I carry with me? as I train for two big physical events that promise to push my physical and psychological limits. I’m alive and I am celebrating that.

Here’s how it works:

No pledge is too small, and every $20 (Can Too) / $25 (Ride to Conquer Cancer) pledge with an honouree attached will be celebrated during each event and after. I will run, ride and swim in their name.

You can choose which event you would like to pledge:

EVENT #1 The Vancouver 5i50 Ironman Triathlon July 10th. It’s an olympic distance tri. Oh boy… I can thank my dear friend Adrian for this one.

It’s a 1.5km swim, 40km bike and finishing off with a 10km run.

p.s. the first time I swam with my face in the water I was 28yrs old and I haven’t done it since… I’m 45 yrs old now. This is my biggest challenge.

I am raising $1000 under the Can Too banner an organization that raises funds for cancer research in exchange for a triathlon training program and volunteer coaches to help me along the way. Haven’t heard about Can Too yet? Well, that’s because they’re not technically in Canada yet, (though cross your fingers for the future okay?) however, I can still work with them from a distance.

Can Too is an Australian organization that engages and inspires individuals to achieve personal health, well-being and altruistic goals. Beginners and experienced athletes alike are given professional coaching as part of a team to run, ride or swim in endurance events- including 10km, half-marathon and marathon runs, ocean swims and triathlons.

All pledges raised go towards innovation in the prevention, care and control of cancer through Cure Cancer Australia and Cancer Council NSW.

CLICK HERE (or the pic) to pledge $20 or higher in the name of your loved one as I complete the Vancouver 5i50 Triathlon.

Today I run, I ride, I swim and I celebrate what this body can do, for me, and for you.

Why? Because I can, and that’s worth sweating for.

EVENT #2 The Ride to Conquer Cancer August 27/28th

The Ride to Conquer Cancer benefiting the BC Cancer Foundation is an epic, two-day cycling event spanning over 200 kilometres through picturesque scenery! Their vision is clear – A World Free From Cancer.

With some highschool (Patrick Phang) and elementary school friends (David Tam) behind me (yes, it’s true), I’ve decided to cycle 200km over two days. Thanks to Spin Cycle Bike Store in Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast, I have a new LIV bike to the ride too. They rock and I’m thrilled to have them on my ‘tri’ and ‘ride’ team. Whewwwwf!

Doing this ride post cancer treatment myself, I get to reclaim the cyclist in me who used to love the freedom of cycling before having children. Once again I’ll feel the strength in my legs and feel the wind in my hair. I’m soooooo looking forward to this ride!

The money you pledge for The Ride to Conquer Cancer will benefit BC Cancer Foundation and support leading clinicians, scientists, and researchers whose search for new discoveries and improved patient outcomes will have a real impact in our communities throughout the province, across Canada, and around the world.

Each week I will update our list of honourees. Please know that once you PLEDGE to either cause, I will followup with an email to you confirming the name of your loved one and if you’d like to send me a photo, I’ll use that too in my 100 person square that will look something like this only with 100 faces:

Today, this is where it all begins. I have just three names on my list so far and I wish it could stay that way because that would mean we’ve found the solution. For now, we begin where we are and we move forward from here.

Here’s to the people you love.

and here’s to you for making a difference.

xxT

FOR TODAY, MARCH 23rd, I train for:

My mom, Peggy Overbury
My dad, Norman Overbury (while not cancer, emphyzema instead, he died from years of smoking and I have no doubt that cancer would’ve come quickly).
and My mother in law, Barb Ingram

xxT

Make your pledge to CAN TOO – supporting my very first triathlon by clicking here.

Make your pledge to the RIDE TO CONQUER CANCER – supporting my August ride by clicking here.

Want to join the team? Run? Bike? Swim? with me? Send me a message here and we’ll connect okay?

The Daily Shutdown

January 29, 2016

Sometimes the things we kick and scream to avoid are the very things we should’ve done a long time ago.

Let’s talk about solopreneurs shall we? I’m a mompreneur, a writer, a network marketer, the founder of this very site and the Live Your Best Story Retreat. I’m a busy gal. I’ve designed my life that way. I have kids, a house to tend to, a dog to walk, a body to take care of (ummm my body), a business to run and all the admin that goes with simply being a living breathing person in today’s societal ‘agreements’ box. I likely have the same long list of responsibilities that you do. I’m not busier than you, and I am also not complaining nor making my case to be worthy of you liking me more or making a plea with the hopes that you’ll repost this for all the other mompreneurs out there. This isn’t strategic blogging for reblogging purposes. This is a personal aha of mine that I still want to pretend isn’t true.

I’m done at 3pm. Like done. Over and out done. I start making withdraws from my bank of ‘fake it till you make it’ after 2:59pm. I’ve turned the dial from left brain to right brain to no brain left at all. You’ll know I’m there when this writer’s sentences are strangely missing vowels.

Can you grab me the…. ummm… you know that thing… the finger and thumb moving thing that cuts that stuff… (I mime the action so they get it). The kids stare at me: ” you mean the scissors mom?” – Yes of course I mean the scissors. What are you looking at? Go get them for me!

Why? Well, okay, so sometimes I’m up at 4:30am as a hockey mom (twice/week this season) but mostly I’m daily shaking my tail at 5:30am: wake-up, lunch up, drive, kiss and drop the Mister off.

“Have a good day and drive safe”.

Then on to the next crew to move on up and out: wake-up, toast-up, dress-up, pack-up, (sometimes scrap-up), then kiss-up and send off.

Have an awesome day you guys. See you at three.

The morning moves me on to the daily dos: you know, the list that when you don’t do it, becomes twice the list the following day and not only that, if you skip it you’ll just agonize your procrastinating hours away about the very thing you’re procrastinating.

Wicked wicked cycle – one that I personally try to avoid.

Start the laundry, straighten the shoes, figure out dinner, wipe up the morning mess, check the calendar, phone, facebook, make the food and supplies list for the daily afternoon dash to the store, check for forms, wipe down the damn boy toilet… again (grrrrrr…. one day right? one day they’ll do it?), figure out where the dog walk or personal run fits, shower and then…

Get down to business: turn the laptop on, crack open the to do list, the follow-throughs, and the must accomplish. My business thought processing doesn’t even start until 10am and that’s 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours post my feet first hitting the morning floor. It’s a half day of ‘work’ already before I’ve even begun.

It took me awhile to connect the dots about the 3pm shut down thing. Of course I had to get nailed with cancer before I could be honest about it.

I still tell myself that shutting down at 3pm is too early.

That I’m not working hard enough.

That I could do more.

That I need to do more.

That my business requires me to do more.

That “if it’s meant to be, it’s up to me”

That “success occurs when my dreams are bigger than my excuses”

That “if it’s important, I’ll find a way”

Yeah well, tell that to the me who dipped one too many times into her bank of reserves and came out on the other side overdrawn.

I had to get nailed with cancer before I could be honest about it.

Last year I received a cancer diagnosis and everything changed. I was in this group therapy session thingy for people in treatment and I heard this woman beside me who was a therapist herself with three decades of serving others behind her, an uuber woman, mom, professional, wife and more say: “Yeah, I practice being lazy now. It’s not easy for me, but I do it.”

It’s too bad we have to call self-care lazy.

There’s just something wrong with that.

“Yeah, I practice being lazy now. It’s not easy for me, but I do it.”

My shut off time is 3pm. That’s when I decide to just be me: Tina, mom, wife, friend, me. It feels kind of like floating, like I’m drifting around on the current of life. I’m laying on my back, face up to the sun, belly exposed, sun glasses on, just laying there, trusting that this massive ocean is totally strong enough to hold me, and guess what? Willingly, it does.

3pm is a good time to shut down for the day. Done done and done. FLOAT time. How about you?

xxT

TinaO is a writer, speaker, network marketer and the founder of Live Your Best Story. Want to know more or work with her? Click here.

Thank you Body

January 13, 2016

Photo Credit Debra Stringfellow

Thank you Body

For the years of walking, running, dancing, for toes that look cute with polish.

For the belly, well deeper than that, which held four babies, of which three would breathe outside of you

For the tangles of hair that could do the flirting for me because I sucked at it and still do. It just seems ridiculous to me really. So thank you longish, brownish, redish, curlyish hair for doing for me what I never really understood the purpose of.

For the hands that plunge daily into hot soapy water, twist and scrape cookie dough, change propane tanks, strike matches, hold me upright on a bicycle and know how to love by wandering.

For the mouth that never stops wondering, chatting, chewing, kissing, smiling and welcoming people to this inner circle of mine.

For the brain… oh my brain… oh this wild engine of mystery that calls for me to know more about it though doesn’t need me to at all. For letting me take you for granted for so long, because I can.

For this heart that beats in perfect rhythm, my unique footsteps through time. A heart that doesn’t measure, only beats beats beats. Thank you.

Do I talk about sex here? That feels weird but even more ridiculous to skip it. Okay… thank you … ummmm sexy bits for delight, for words that have no sound, for an invitation an ever constant invitation for more of me of you of we of of of so much.

For this skin that holds me together.

For this skeleton that stands me.

For these eyes that not only sees you, but allows you to really see me. No pretending. No hiding. Sees me.

For wonder. Thank you body for knowing everything while I do not.

Thank you for this. I live because of you.

xxT