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Sheila’s Story (Skin Cancer)

Sheila's Story (Skin Cancer)Sometimes we need to share our journey to help inspire those who need it and sometimes we need to read our journey to remind ourselves how far we have come and continue to push ourselves to become the best we are meant to be.

My path since May 2012…

At that time in my life I was working at a beauty company. I enjoyed most of the people I worked with and my duties included sales and some modeling. It was a fun job and I will always be thankful for the friends I made and the lessons I needed to learn at that time.

The Friday before Memorial weekend I was laid off along with three other people. I will never forget thinking, “I have more integrity in my pinkie than this company will ever have.” Needless to say, it was not a very well run business and even though it hurt at the time, it was my time to move on.

Driving home I started to think about the corners I would need to cut due to my recent lay off. My first stop on my way home was to cancel my gym membership at 24 Hour Fitness until I could find another job. On meeting with the club manager I explained what had just happened, my current financial situation, and that I needed to put my membership on hold. She told me they were hiring. Later that day I went home, filled out my online application, sent my resume to her, and within days I was contacted for an interview.

I interviewed at the Colorado/Alameda 24 Hour Fitness and was hired on the spot. Over time I would relocate. Originally I had been hired as a service rep. In September 2012, I had a bad fall and fractured my pelvis setting me back months. When I was able to return to work, it had been decided that I would be a good fit for our Kids Club. I was able to slowly heal and still work as needed. As anyone can imagine I was not always in the best spirits due to the pain. I am sure that came across a time or two. Months of physical therapy and the amazing support from my family, friends, and coworkers I healed and was back on my journey. I was taking on more hours at work and having a blast working with the children, families, and all my coworkers.

As of April 2013 my journey faced a fork in the road when I was diagnosed with skin cancer. There are not enough words to describe what I felt the day of the diagnoses and how I knew I needed to take a deep breath and fight for my life. So many emotions and so much fear in one word. I literally had to take the power out of the word and become someone who would, in my mind, be stronger then the disease. With surgery, love, support, inner strength, and obviously something I needed to learn about myself from this, I am proud to say I am now cancer free. It will always be a concern with every doctor’s check up but, I will rise to the occasion if needed again and kick cancer’s ass!

Which brings me to today, I am stronger, wiser, and much happier for the path I have taken and how I have learned from it all. I am finally getting “ME” back. It is amazing how FITNESS can have a huge impact on your overall lifestyle. I have recently been promoted to Kids Club manager with 24 Hour Fitness and will continue to help with public relations. I will always be thankful for those who believe in me. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life! It has been an amazing journey and will only keep getting better!

When you find yourself in the huddle of self doubt, worry, pain, crying, or fear tell yourself, “YOU are stronger than anything you are dealing with, it always gets better!” We all have those moments of defeat but they are only moments, they will not last forever. Never give up on yourself because you deserve AMAZING!!

Sheila
Colorado
Submitted 09/09/2013

The informational content of this article is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.

This story is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.

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