About : Profiles

Meet Kate Koons, 48-year-old breast cancer survivor
Single

Date of Diagnosis:
November 2003

Treatment:
Three surgeries (including lumpectomy and mastectomy), chemotherapy

Cancer was difficult because:
I was afraid of chemotherapy and what it was doing to my body and now and then, I felt like quitting. My entire life was about fighting cancer – work, eat, rest – it seemed like a lot of work. I got frustrated. When I quit fighting chemo, things became easier. I began combating my symptoms and felt empowered at that point. I decided to do everything I could to prevent cancer, hit it hard, and make it a one-time shot. Hopefully now I’ll never have to face it again.

Good things to come out of my illness:
Cancer reset my start button and gave me a new perspective on what’s important. It was a wake up call for me to do the things I want and need to do. Now I eliminate things in my life that aren’t important.

Most important advice for someone diagnosed with cancer:
1) Listen to your own intuition. Doctors know a lot, but there are times where your own knowledge is as important, if not more important, than what they know.
2) Learn as much as you can about your illness and diagnosis
3) Ask for help. You are the one that has to go through it, but it doesn’t mean you have to go through it by yourself.

Why I joined MoveThroughCancer:
I walked throughout my cancer treatment, but shortly after, I hurt my hip, which took several months to heal. I was so busy making a living and trying to catch up, I let my exercise lapse and I could tell a huge difference in my body. I had little muscle strength and I couldn’t get up off the floor because of pain in my legs. I gained weight from Tamoxifen. By the time I heard about MTC, I knew I wanted to get back into a movement program.

How MoveThroughCancer changed my life:
My leg pain is gone and my muscle strength has improved. The MTC program is great because I am with other people who know what I’ve been through because they’ve been there too. It’s a supportive atmosphere with lots of psychological benefits as well as physical benefits. At first it was difficult, but all of a sudden the switch was “on” and it wasn’t such a struggle anymore. I looked forward to my walks and I got stronger. Finally I felt like “I’m back!”