Discussing Breast Cancer

How does a woman without her two main abdominal muscles muster on the ski slopes? I’ll tell you in a minute. First, here’s some background:

My husband and I used to ski quite a bit. We belonged to a ski club called The Ski Bears of Connecticut (a club for mostly single people [or couples without children] who were passionate about both skiing and, ahem, socializing) — we went on several fantastic ski trips a year until I got pregnant with our first. Three kids and two breast cancer diagnoses later … I’m a completely reconstructed woman and I doubted I had it in me to take on a mountain.

However, we’d always wanted to get our kids out there on the slopes. We wanted them to learn the sport while they were still close to the ground. We’d always envied and admired people that had been skiing since childhood and saw those kids skiing around us as fearless wonders.

Our oldest is eight — it was time to act before we missed out window with him. We chose the day. We chose the mountain. We picked up rentals (having sold our own equipment years ago b/c it was getting outdated). The only question was … could I still ski? I tried ice skating earlier this winter and the only trouble I really had was getting up off the ice once I went down. But my will to ski was strong — and at least I had the mountain and my poles by my side to assist me if I fell.

At 10:00 am we brought the boys to ski school. Shortly thereafter, we hit the slopes with our daughter. We traversed to the lift. We waited in line. It was their turn first. I got on the chair behind them. So far, everything was going smoothly. As I headed up the mountain I started to wonder. If I could no longer get up off the couch without help, how would I compensate getting off a ski lift? I lifted the bar. I lifted the tips of my skiis. I held my poles in one hand and pushed off the side of the chair with my free hand and I was off.

I was thrilled. I was comfortable. I was confident. I was able to ski.

The entire time the boys were in ski school, I skied alongside my husband/daughter team (she was between his legs the whole time so they really were a single skiing unit for the day). When the boys’ lesson was over, we grabbed a quick lunch, then headed out. My daughter was still skiing with my husband, the designated partner for her because he was clearly the strongest, most able to keep her safe. My oldest was fairly proficient at the sport after just one lesson, needing a little help when he fell until he learned how to get himself up, but otherwise skiing strong for his first time out. My middle son … well, he needed his momma.

At six years old, my middle son had the desire to ski on the bigger slope, but a fear of falling that I understood pretty well. He hadn’t yet achieved the ability to stop or turn — he really needed more time on the bunny hill but we wanted him to stay with us.

So there I was, a woman with a belly made of mesh, snowplowing beside him, giving him the handle end of my ski poles to hold, escorting him down the mountain time and time again. He loved it.

Not only could I ski … but I could ski with my kids.

What’s your biggest feat post-TRAM flap?

breast cancer, cancer, children, health, health and wellness, ice skating, kids, skating, Ski Bears, skiing, TRAM flap, wellness