After the Diagnosis

NOTHING COULD HAVE SURPRISED ME MORE than finding out two years ago I had a massive
tumor in my left lung. I had no symptoms-in fact, I was running half-marathons, just as I'd been doing for years.

I was lucky because, despite its size, the tumor was contained. I didn't need chemo, but they did
have to remove the entire lower portion of my left lung. The surgery was excruciating. Doctors had
to cut me open from right under my breast all the way to my back under my shoulder blade and
separate my ribs. I'm allergic to pain medicine, so there was nothing I could take to make myself
more comfortable.

For me, massage therapy was the only alternative. I could either lie there and feel sorry for myself or get up and try to do something. I started going to Massage Envy about three weeks after my surgery. At first, I went every week because it helped relax me and I could just feel the
blood returning to the area.

The massage therapists were great. They worked around the surgical area until they could actually manipulate it. In the meantime, just having them do deep-tissue work on my legs seemed to help. I'd been lying down for so many weeks it felt as if my body was full of toxins that the massages helped release.

My first question to the doctor after surgery was, "When can I start running again?" He looked at me like I was crazy. But from the first day, I worked to get my strength back. I'm convinced massage therapy got me where I am today. I was extremely winded at first and felt like a litte old lady but, step by step, it happened. I ran my first 5K two months after surgery, with my husband, Mark, at my side. It was very powerful for me because as we rounded the corner and came back, I was running toward the hospital where I had my surgery. I thought, I can't believe I'm doing this.

I still have regular massages. I remain convinced that the massage therapists' work on my muscles and getting my blood flowing during recovery got me going faster than anything. -As told to Amy Lynn Smith