Life After Cancer

After surviving cancer, Rebecca embraced the idea of living life to the fullest. Though it was a difficult transition from hospital life back to real life, she dedicated herself to the task of healing. She regained her strength, built her endurance, and eventually started doing kickboxing classes as the next challenge to overcome. Joining kickboxing was her first experience of adapting as an athlete after being told she may never walk again.

Not long after joining kickboxing, one of her coaches dared her to do a Spartan Obstacle Course Race, and Rebecca was never one to back away from a dare. She took on her first Spartan Sprint only two years after completing cancer treatment, and she was hooked. Less than 9 months later, she raced her first Spartan Trifecta Weekend, completing a 21k, a 10k, and a 5k in two days.

Unfortunately, just a few months after her Trifecta Weekend, the allograft and plate in her left leg would fail. They were no match for her life of high activity, and she broke through both the allograft and the plate. She consulted with a surgeon only to hear the dreaded words, “You won’t be walking again.” But Rebecca couldn’t bear to live life that way. She took matters into her own hands, and kept pushing for other options, until eventually the surgeon told her about a below the knee amputation.

Though drastic, it was the only option that would allow her to continue living an active and fulfilling life. Recovery from the amputation was less than ideal, but she was eventually able to start learning how to use a prosthesis. Her main goal was to get back on the obstacle course once again, and she accomplished that goal 10 months after her amputation. With the help of the team More Heart Than Scars, she completed her first Spartan 5k as an adaptive athlete.

Though it seemed a fitting end, Rebecca’s story was still being written. Just a year after her decision to amputate, she began experiencing problems with the allograft and plate the surgeon left in her residual limb. Desperate for the vicious cycle to end, Rebecca got a second opinion at a new medical center, and the surgeon there suggested an above knee amputation to get rid of any foreign objects. It was her best chance at keeping her beloved active and adventurous lifestyle.

Once again, she chose to amputate, and she has been living and thriving as an above knee amputee ever since. She plans on making yet another return to Obstacle Course Racing as soon as she is able, and knows her story is far from over.