“You’re so much more than just somebody who has survived cancer. And also…you’re somebody who has survived cancer! Figuring out that new identity is an interesting thing to navigate.”
At 28 years old, Christine Thorn Fischer was a happy, healthy, elite-level steeplechasing, elementary school teacher. Then, she found a lump in her breast. Christine was diagnosed with stage four invasive ductal carcinoma — breast cancer — that spread to her spine and sacrum. Suddenly, instead of dreaming about her next race on the track, Christine was undergoing intense treatment including eight rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy. In this conversation, Christine — who is married to professional marathoner Reed Fischer — talks about her diagnosis and the days, weeks, and months that followed. She talks about her experience with scalp cooling to preserve her hair during treatment, about the worst day of her life, and about what it was like learning that she might die within a few years.
Not only did Christine get a “no signs of disease” report from her most recent scans, she is living. Christine is officially back on the run, and just ran her first marathon — the TCS New York City Marathon — a few weeks ago, conquering the course in 3:09:52
FOLLOW CHRISTINE @c_thorn31
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In this episode:
- Christine reflects on running the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon (5:45)
- On being a “cancer survivor” (11:40)
- What Christine was needing when she went on a Boarding for Breast Cancer retreat (13:50)
- All about Christine’s breast cancer diagnosis and the days, weeks, and months that followed (19:45)
- Christine recounts the worst day of her life (34:00)
- Christine’s advice on how to support someone going through a cancer diagnosis and treatment (44:50)
- What Christine recalls as the hardest parts of her cancer journey (50:00)
- Christine’s decision to do cold capping during chemotherapy (59:40)
- On reaching the light at the end of the cancer tunnel (1:07:45)
- How Christine’s perspective on fear has changed over the past two years (1:16:20)
- Why Christine wanted to run the New York City Marathon after completing cancer treatment (1:17:50)
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