Last year on January 24th I went to surgery to remove a bit of breast cancer and with it both my breasts.  I got reconstructed breasts over the course of 2011 and now, one year later, I am looking and feeling fine.  Between surgeries (6 surgeries to be exact) and recovery periods my working out has been intermittent through the year (like maybe half the year I actually trained), basically putting me back now where I was before surgery (in terms of pounds I can lift).  Though I may be where I started in pounds, I can say that today I’m smarter in my knowledge about form and lifting, I’m more confident in my abilities, I want to get stronger and leaner more than I did before, I am more self-driven now, I’m enjoying it more, I have adopted a more fun and flexible diet, and… well, basically I’m pretty sure I’m a badass.  I’m doing multiple sets of weighted pull-ups, deadlifting around 210 pounds, squatting 175 pounds, and bench pressing about 115 pounds (and those aren’t my one rep maxes, but lifts I can do 5 or more times).  I’m just kidding about being a badass, because really this is just the beginning for me: now that I’m free to train without interruption (barring any health issues), I have a long way to go before I’m a true badass.  

I’m not saying all this to be arrogant, but just to say that after having been through what happened to me last year, I feel proud of myself for continuing to go so fully for my physical health and fitness, and that even after having cancer, I might just be in the best shape of my life.  And I’m going for it even harder.