#BraveLikePatricia
Name: Patricia Tirona
Age: 45
Diagnosis: Stage 2A Breast Cancer, ER/PR positive
Years of Survivorship: 2 years!
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Follow Patricia on Twitter, Instagram, Strava, or her blog. And check out Patricia's running team's, the Dashing Whippets, website and Instagram.
How has running or staying physically active affected your cancer journey?
During most of the treatment I was too easily winded/fatigued to engage in weekly tempos and track workouts but I had plenty of teammates who joined me on easy runs. It was be tempting to hide out and isolate myself from people but running enabled me to stay in shape, avoid excessive fatigue, and the endorphins kept my spirits up so I felt less self-conscious being around others. Staying mentally positive is key and having a workout routine with friends gave me something to look forward to especially on days when I felt emotionally and physically ragged.
We have an oncologist on the team and he, along with my own doctors, stressed the importance of exercise in keeping my immunity strong. Running and other exercise consistently kept my energy levels up so I never missed a treatment. Aside from a few bad colds I never suffered a setback during this period of compromised immunity.
What advice do you have for people on staying fit throughout their cancer treatment or recovery?
If you’re trying to run during chemo keep in mind that the side effects of fatigue and neuropathy increase as the chemotherapy’s strength aggregates. The runs will become shorter, slower, filled with a lot more stops and rest breaks. During the later stages of chemo, I needed about 15 minutes of rest during a 3-5 mile run. I ran on local streets in my neighborhood so I could rest at stoplights. Avoid running on routes that could potentially leave you stranded with no easy way to get home should you be too tired or nauseated to continue. The scenery and people walking around gave me something to focus on which kept me from getting too frustrated. Pick a route with your favorite views or neighborhood stores you could pop into if you need a break.
As the workouts/runs get harder keep telling yourself, “it’s not always going to feel this rough.” Have questions prepared about your fitness goals as well as food and nutrient needs on that first day of chemo when you meet your nutritionist. Most hospitals will send one their patients’ way during each session and you can learn a lot that can help you navigate exercise plans during treatment. Be mindful of your body, take notes, keep a journal about what activities felt great, how soon they were after treatment, what you ate, how you’re sleeping, etc. Small frequent meals are great in fighting off the nausea and always hydrate!
What are some of your proudest accomplishments since being diagnosed with cancer?
My unilateral mastectomy was scheduled in early fall 2017 and the doctors gave me the green light to run about two and a half weeks after so I ran as many easy miles as I could while managing some pain/discomfort. About a month later I ran and finished the Staten Island Half with a personal worst time barely under 2 hours. My DWRT teammates that were sprinkled along the course to cheer all of us on made a huge difference and I was thrilled to see them out there. Extra kudos to them as it was a cold and rainy day!
Fast forward to 2018 with chemo and radiation behind me I ran and completed the New York City Marathon. Did I run a blazing time? No! Was it the best marathon experience of my life? Yes! It was a 26.2 mile victory lap and a day I’ll never forget.
How has Gabe's story impacted you or changed the way you view life as a cancer patient/survivor?
Gabe’s perseverance to keep training, live her life, and her endless efforts to bring attention to rare cancers through years of ups and downs health wise showed me I can get through my own treatment. Quite simply, if she was able to do it in spite of her cancer, I can do a 3 mile run despite feeling fatigued. It meant the world to me when she responded to messages, and gave me encouragement and praise. Her courage and perspective made me less scared in dealing with all aspects of my own life. Her gratitude continues to shine and remains contagious.
I was fortunate enough to meet her when she spoke at NYRR in the months leading up to the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon. We had been corresponding back and forth via messages and I was in awe of her humanity and generosity to take the time to reach out to me to see how I was doing.
What does being #BraveLikePatricia mean to you?
Being brave means drawing strength and inspiration from other people training hard, living and racing fearlessly even as their own struggles threaten to derail their progress.
The timing of my second chemo session fell a few days before the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon. I was devastated to miss running it as it would have been my fifth New York City Marathon and tenth marathon overall, but I was determined to cheer. Usually I felt no symptoms the day of and some fatigue the day after AC treatments. Saturday rolled around and a friend on the team came over to craft cheer signs with me. This was the third day after treatment and I was dragging from having low energy but we spent about six hours and made two elaborate signs while watching The Great British Baking Show. By the time we were done and sitting down to eat take-out I was falling asleep. Miraculously I woke up on marathon Sunday with zero fatigue or symptoms. She and I met up again to be this fast-moving mobile cheer station seeing our teammates at three different points of the marathon.
Even though I felt left out being on the sidelines watching friends race, it was inspiring to watch everyone kill their goal times after months of observing their workouts on Strava. So many smiles and strong form from my teammates—it was beautiful to behold. Even their pain-cave faces at the end were stunning to me.
Everyone struggles with health and personal issues and deals with them in their own ways. Nobody is immune to tragedy and hearing people’s stories then watching them race, knowing they were tough enough to not give up on the training and pushed through their own trials is motivating. Being brave meant not giving into my jealousy and avoiding the bitterness that leads to “why me” thoughts. I’m not alone in overcoming obstacles to achieve big goals. There are others out there dealing with far more adversity and accomplishing greater things I can’t even imagine for myself.
What are you most looking forward to in the near future?
Now that I’ve navigated life after treatment and am working through the next stage of life on Tamoxifen, I realize there’s a lot more work to be done. I think a big misconception is it’s all over once you ring the bell and radiation and chemo are finished. The drugs to suppress the estrogen in order to keep the cancer at bay are harsh -- months into treatment crazy fatigue and mood swings kick into high gear. I worked with my doctors on dosage, vitamins, and my diet. I am nowhere near as fast as I was before the cancer and treatment, but every day I’m seeing progress that is inching back to those speeds. Running is feeling great again and I can’t wait to run the 50th New York City Marathon in the fall with the #BraveLikeGabe and Dashing Whippets teams!
Is there anything else you'd like us to know about you?
I have been a member and co-captain of a New York running team, the Dashing Whippets Running Team, for almost 10 years. It’s also not just a running club but more like a family. When times are tough close teammates and I do scenic run chats to talk through our troubles. Many post-run beers are shared! I kept running during the treatments because of them and especially now I’m constantly motivated by their individual achievements both on the roads and off. They are my absolute anchor and I could not have gotten through this without them.
I had kept the cancer a secret except to close friends and my mom. Secretly DWRT started a fundraiser, spearheaded by a close friend, to offset the costs of cold capping and other treatment-related expenses. It was started on my first day of chemo and before the session was over I’d found out about it. Reading all the messages in the private fundraising Facebook group made me cry, which was maybe the time I cried the most.
After my surgery my room was filled with my teammates who I know helped my mom feel at ease as well as boost my own spirits. During chemo I was never without at least one or two teammates and my mom keeping me company. Teammates surprised me with a cake on my first run back at a weekly social fun run I co-host. Constant messages, visits, gifts of food, and home-cooked meals spoiled me and I’ll never be able to convey my gratitude enough.