In Honor Of Breast Cancer Awareness Month: An Inspiring Story & Lessons For Us All

You may or may not know this, but October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Given that the Pure Joy Wellness community is composed of strong, badass women, I wanted to use this week’s blog post to spotlight one of my long-time clients, Jessica Moser, a breast cancer survivor, and share some breast cancer resources that every woman should know about.

I started working with Jessica in 2011, three years after she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. Her diagnosis came after a routine check-up—she was on vacation with her family and got a call from her doctor. That was August 2008. Her kids were ages 4 and 6. In October of that year, she had a double mastectomy and then underwent four months of chemotherapy. From there, she had a series of surgeries to replace her breasts and remove her ovaries, followed by sessions of radiation that she received every day for five whole weeks. By the time all of her treatments and surgeries wrapped up, it was January 2010. 

In the months following her remission, Jessica felt vulnerable and she wanted to feel stronger. Jessica had been into fitness before her diagnosis, and she did some semblance of exercise throughout her treatment, but her body grew weaker and weaker as time went on. By the end, she was ready to get back in the fitness game. And that’s what ultimately led Jessica to train with me!

We have worked together ever since, and it’s been incredible to see Jessica build her strength and confidence over the years. Here are a few (of the many) tidbits I’ve learned from her that I think we could all benefit from. 

Lessons we can all learn from Jessica

1. Be grateful for your body. 

Jessica’s story is a reminder to all of us to have gratitude for our bodies. To this day, she’s grateful to her body for surviving her treatments and fighting off her breast cancer. As women, we’re especially quick to criticize our bodies and determine their value based on society’s unrealistic (and arbitrary) body standards, but we have to step back and see the bigger picture. Our bodies allow us to do so much, and we only get one of them in this life. So let’s be grateful for ours, and acknowledge all that they do for us.

2. Practice self-care, whatever that looks like for you.

Jessica told me that her experience with breast cancer taught her a lot about self-care, in particular what it is, what it isn’t, and how important it is to our overall well-being. Self-care isn’t just about taking bubble baths or treating yourself—it’s also about how you see and talk to yourself on a daily basis. Self-care is about being kind to yourself and letting yourself be strong, while also challenging your limits and finding your true strength. 

3. Community can help you get through anything. 

While she was going through treatments, Jessica joined a group of young women who were also cancer survivors at the hospital. She says without that support group, enduring the radiation, treatments, and surgeries, would’ve been ten times harder. Having people she could relate to and ask for advice, as well as lean on for emotional support, proved invaluable, and she still stays in touch with other survivors from the group. To me, this shows how powerful community can be, and how when women come together, incredible things can happen. 

For information about breast cancer prevention and treatment, you can visit sites like breastcancer.org or the American Cancer Society, or ask your doctor about breast cancer testing and prevention. And for more inspiring stories, practical advice, and a community of women who are here to support you, I invite you to join our Private Pure Joy Wellness Facebook Group.  

Sending a big shoutout to Jessica for sharing her story and being part of this community!

With love and gratitude, 

Renata