Fight to the finish: strength of body and mind gave her the means to fight breast cancer - Inspiring Minds

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, Dec, 2002 by Nancy Minskoff-Milau

Editor's Note: Just a month before we went to press, Nancy fell ill and was told her cancer had metastasized. We originally planned to publish her fight against breast cancer as a Success Story, but now print this Inspiring Minds tribute to honor a woman who was training in the gym up until three weeks before her death on Aug. 15, 2002.

I started working out just over two years ago, in September 2000. I was 45 and had enjoyed swimming and tennis growing up, and more recently horseback riding and ice skating. Yet I'd never followed a specific fitness or weight-training regimen. With my daughter in half-day kindergarten, I had the time to commit to regular training at the gym. First twice a week, then three times weekly, I worked with personal trainer Bill Burrack in Putnam Valley, New York.

Initially, I spent a half-hour on the treadmill and began a weight circuit. My true goal was to get fit and look sexy After three months, I felt much stronger, and Bill introduced me to other machines and free weights. The more I did, the more I could do. He mixed up my program in a way that made me excited to get to the gym and train.

A New Urgency

In May 2001, my training took on new meaning and urgency. A mammogram showed a pre-cancer, and since I'd had a lumpectomy and radiation on the opposite breast 11 years before, I was advised to have a bilateral mastectomy to eliminate the risk of having the cancer return. Ever since my lumpectomy and first bout of radiation, I was always thinking that my breasts were on loan, and that this day would come. I was terrified of the impending pain.

I had nine weeks to prepare for the surgery Bill kept me focused on the goal: to go into surgery strong and come out just as strong to take on the challenge of recovery. My workouts always included cardio, but Bill modified my weight program to develop my pectoral muscles so they'd be strong and flexible. I was benching my bodyweight by the day of surgery. My world felt more controlled when I was at the gym, because one more rep meant concentrating on the task before me.

On July 10, 2001, I was ready and I came through the mastectomy and subsequent surgeries with a minimal amount of pain and limitation. I had five surgeries in all--biopsy, mastectomy and reconstruction is a multisurgical process--and all the doctors I saw concurred: My training program made an enormous difference in my postoperative recovery. I spent just two nights in the hospital and was walking a mile by the third day. I was anxious to get back to the gym but was advised to wait two weeks to let myself heal.

Staying Connected

It turned out there was a 1 cm tumor in the breast that was undetected in the mammogram and palpation, so I needed to undergo chemotherapy. I had a port surgically implanted on Aug. 6, my birthday, so the chemo would be easy to administer. I went four times, once every three weeks. I lost my hair after the first treatment and wore a wig or bandanna.

I fared well during chemo; my blood counts were always within normal range. I never got sick, just tired for a few days, and I rode horses throughout because it made me feel good. During chemo I continued to go to the gym 4-5 days a week--I rode the stationary bike or walked on the treadmill, if only for 15 minutes. My doctor was pleased with my drive and encouraged me to do whatever made me feel good. I listened to my body and rested when I needed to. Sometimes I just watched others work out to keep the drive within me alive. I used any way I could to stay connected to working out and training.

I returned to the gym after all my surgeries and treatments, but was basically limited to lower-body training. I walked on the treadmill or rode the bike for 20 minutes, trying to increase my cardio. Slowly I got my range of motion back and used very low weights. My goal was to get my upper-body strength back. Fitness was no longer about wanting to look sexy--it was survival at its most fundamental and meaningful level. It was proof positive that I was okay.

My ordeal is behind me and I continue to train 4-5 times a week, some days with Bill. He taught me that exercise is fun, and now I can't live without it. I feel strong and in control. My training helps me focus--a skill I've applied to the rest of my life. I know my workouts and my commitment to fitness saved me, both emotionally and physically My body almost doesn't realize I had the surgeries--that's how good I feel.