a life changing week

I really didn't think I would continue this blog.  I mean, my fight is over, right?  Yet I participated in something recently that helped me realize the life of a cancer fighter/survivor doesn't have to be all about fighting/surviving but rather living and I wanted to write about it.

A couple weeks ago I went on a kayak trip with a group called First Descents.  How to describe FD?  I think their mission statement from their website is pretty adequate, "FIRST DESCENTS offers young adult cancer fighters and survivors a free outdoor adventure experience designed to empower them to climb, paddle and surf beyond their diagnosis, defy their cancer, reclaim their lives and connect with others doing the same."


How beautiful is that?  An outdoor experience "designed to empower them".  Wow.  And for free! Before my trip I read somewhere that a First Descents experience would change my life.  Did I really expect this to happen? Certainly not, but I was willing to at least go and have fun and see how I could grow from it.

I was never one for support groups.  I'm still not one to go to support groups.  I know it is really therapeutic for some and, well, supports them through the trials they are going through, but that's not me.  All I can picture is the beginning of Fight Club where Edward Norton's character goes to these groups to cry so he can sleep.  Chairs in a circle, people getting up, saying their name, "hi (insert name)", cry sesh, sit down, go home, sleep.  Not my thing.  And so FD, being the opposite of that situation, was extremely therapeutic for me.

I think the rest of this blog post is just going to be littered with pictures I stole from our First Descents facebook page and a bit about this amazing week kayaking on the Potomac river in DC.

Sunday.  Fly into Baltimore.  Get picked up by one of the camp directors named McStillin.  Get to know a few of my fellow campers, Firefly, Shadow, Quiz, Aloha and Gumbo.  I get my name of 8 Mile and we proceed to where we're staying for the week.  We meet everyone else, namely Patch the other director, Drift, Daizy, Stitches, Turbo, Persimmon, Anonymous, Black Swan, and all the others who helped make the week possible.

Monday. First day kayaking.  I sucked.  I could not go straight.  But only like 3 of us really could so I didn't feel too bad.  Kayaking hurt more than I expected because of my neck surgery.  It's a good thing everyone had plenty of medicine to share.

Tuesday.  We did a little stand up paddle board yoga in the morning.  More kayaking.  I was not as bad as I was the day before.  And it was so much fun.  Also, Patch and our kayaking director, Outlaw, went down a waterfall called Great Falls.  A waterfall! It was pretty nuts.  Some other guy watching from the same outlook we were asked in admiration, "You know those guys?" Yes, yes we do.  To round out the night we had a little dance party on the school bus we used the next day to go to DC.

Wednesday.  We went to DC in the morning.  I have never been this far east before let alone to Washington DC, and it was terrific.  And hot.  So I was glad when we went back on the bus.  We played on the stand up paddle boards all afternoon and just had fun.

Thursday.  Our last day on the water.  We did more advanced rapids than we had before and did our "graduation rapid" by ourself.  We played around at this one rapid just trying to stay up, but we all eventually got flipped over.  There were people there to flip you back so you were just supposed to stay in your boat upside down.  I bailed.  Immediately.  Maybe I should trust more.

Friday.  Goodbye.  Which was a lot sadder than I expected for people I had known less than a week.  We made a little stop by the Washington DC temple and then got some Chick-fil-A on the way to the airport and then I was home in the mitten once more.

If there was not money put into cancer research I would probably still have cancer.  I am so appreciative of the billions of dollars spent to find treatments/cures for cancer.  But it is easy to forget that those that have cancer are people too.  We aren't just a diagnosis.  My name is Katie, not female with a high-grade myxofibrosarcoma.  And that is one of the reasons I love First Descents.  I am Katie and I am alive and really trying to live after cancer! Well actually I guess I should be saying "I am 8 Mile and I am alive.. etc."  But really, it feels so good to not be forgotten after my treatment is over.  First Descents, this beautiful non-profit group, helped to help me to realize how strong I am.  It helped me to know what more I want out of life.  I want to truly be "out living it" not just being alive.  It helped me connect with people that actually know what I went through and what I'm still going through.

So, did my FD trip change my life?  It did.  It really did.
If you'd like to donate to First Descents to help make trips like this possible for other young adult cancer fighters and survivors just click here!