About : Profiles

Meet Gena Girardeau, 27-year-old Hodgkins lymphoma survivor
Married

Date of Diagnosis:
1997 at age 19

Treatment:
Chemotherapy, radiation therapy

Cancer was difficult because:
There was a lack of resources for people my age. There aren’t many support groups for young people, so it was hard to find people to relate to. I felt isolated and alone because my peers did not understand what I was going through. My mother felt helpless because she couldn’t nurse me back to health.

Good things to come out of my illness:
We all have life lessons and I was fortunate to learn to appreciate life at such a young age. Now I look at the positives in people more, because I have more empathy with life. My experience affected my career – I work for the American Cancer Society as a trainer. I teach others how to deal with newly diagnosed cancer patients.

Most important advice for someone diagnosed with cancer:
1) Listen to your body.
2) Remember we are all survivors – you don’t have to be a cancer patient to be a survivor – we belong in the same group.
3) Find someone who has been through the experience and draw from their strengths and wisdom.

Why I joined MoveThroughCancer:
I was extremely active before my diagnosis, and when I heard about MTC, it sounded fun and perfect for me. I knew I could commit to once a week, and after awhile, I found myself exercising outside my training with MTC.

How MoveThroughCancer changed my life:
It’s nice to be surrounded by good, positive people who share the same experience and care about me. I used to dread exercising, now I crave that time. I need it because it’s my time for me. MTC makes me want to be more active. I had a bike in my garage, and I pulled it out to ride it. I park my car far from my destination so I can walk more. My next goal is a 10K!