Let's remember to treat every client differently

The first Breast Cancer survivor I ever worked with was very vulnerable and

frightened to move in certain ways as the stretching scared her. I remember

speaking with her breast cancer nurse who had taken care of her during her

treatment and she told me how delicate this particular lady was and she was

not coping with her situation. Consequently I had to be careful with her and

sensitive to her needs to gain her trust. It was an eye-opening and very real

moment for me once I realised my role went beyond being a Pilates teacher.

At this point in my career with more than 14 years teaching and running my

own studio, I had only ever come across four breast cancer survivors prior to

being diagnosed with breast cancer myself.

All four of them had completely different experiences.

The second lady had exactly the same treatment as the first but was such a

strong woman in herself and was confident and not afraid to move. She

handled it completely differently from the first, which was a learning curve for

me. These first two clients didn’t have chemotherapy but both had a full

mastectomy and breast reconstruction using part of their rectus abdominis.

The third lady I worked with had a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and

radiation therapy. I must admit I treated her very differently. She had lost both

breasts and had chosen not to have reconstruction and this was very obvious

to me. I also knew a little about this lady from the friend who referred her to

me, so I prejudged her and treated her like she was wrapped in cotton wool.

I only saw her a couple of times and she seemed very tired and low on

energy and had a lot going on in her life. It was a very short time after this I

was diagnosed and immediately realised how I had considered her

differently and I learnt a lot from that and would not look at a survivor that

way now.

The fourth client had been in remission for some time and she never talked

about it as she told me she had no issues with her body from her treatment

some years ago.

What these four clients showed me was just how different their journeys had

been. How some ladies are very happy to share their story while some keep it very much to themselves so I believe we are all affected and feel differently

about it…and when I also reflect upon it I also feel different about it too.

When I was diagnosed in 2018, I was in the dark about the disease and the

treatment that I never considered I would stop teaching at my studio.

Discovering a lump in my breast was very scary as I had no knowledge of

what lie ahead and I was very scared of the chemotherapy (chemo) as I had

read such dreadful things about it. Funnily enough, I was not that concerned

about losing my breast. I was very afraid of having radiotherapy, however, I

was lucky not to need it as the chemo did such a good job on the tumour.

My diagnosis was shortly after I had worked with my third Breast Cancer client and I thought about her alot after my own discovery. I still had two of my original clients doing Pilates with me and they were the first people I wanted to speak to. They were incredibly informative and supportive and were able to answer lots of questions I had.

My oncologist advised me to stop work altogether because your immunity is

compromised whilst on chemo and she didn’t think a Pilates studio a good

idea with lots of people around me on a daily basis and run the risk of

catching a cold or similar. So I decided to close my studio.

I was diagnosed in September 2018 and my chemo started beginning of

October…I had my last treatment February 2019. After chemo was finished, I

had lymph node surgery to remove nodes from my armpit and then I

underwent a nipple-sparing mastectomy with a temporary spacer inserted

before final surgery in September 2019 - a year since my treatment began.

For the most part, people were incredibly generous with offers of emotional,

financial support and whatever else I needed and I found some of my clients to be

my biggest supporters - constantly checking in to see how I was and offering

all sorts of help from cooking meals, cleaning my house and doing my

washing, which I did not let anyone do but it was still mind-blowing to have

these offers - I just did not expect this.

Some of my closest friends were the ones that treated me very differently and I lost some friends during this time because of their reaction to my illness.

Sadly, quite a few people had too much advice, questioning and

commenting negatively on my care and this was disappointing as they were

not being supportive to my needs at the time. There were others I had known

for a long time who could barely say hello to me because they simply did not

know what to say. I did learn so much from other people about how not to

treat someone with cancer.

After undergoing the mastectomy and having a spacer temporarily

implanted until things settled in readiness for a permanent implant, I was in a

lot of pain as the pec major is completely lifted from the chest wall during the

operation. The spacer was left intact for about six months when I had an

implant inserted. After both surgeries I did experience a lot of pain. After

some months I returned to exercise and I did not avoid anything in particular.

I just focussed on movement in and around the joint. I did have lots of issues

with my shoulder for 6 to 12 months but it did recover with consistent

persistent strength and stretch and I had minimal physiotherapy.

When I reflect on my Breast Cancer journey, I personally don’t see it as such a big deal now. I think that’s because I was so impressed and confident with

the care I received from my oncology and surgical team. My breast nurse

was like my own personal bodyguard, I loved her and she was my rock.

Everyone was incredibly kind to me and I felt completely taken care of.

I had never spent any time in a hospital as I had always enjoyed good health

so it was like stepping into another world I had no idea existed. It was an

incredible and interesting experience. You spend a lot of time at the hospital

every week having different scans and x-rays. I swear I had over a

thousand needles with constant blood tests and cannulas being inserted

which has left me with needle phobia! Being in an oncology lounge and

having treatment with so many other men and women with all kinds of

cancer was such an eye-opener for me. And the big takeaway was it’s not

as scary as I thought it would be.

There are quite a number of women who are survivors attending pilates

sessions at the studio I now teach at, and I am also very aware of large

numbers of women in Townsville having this disease. The bottom line is lots of women get Breast Cancer and there are so many different types to consider.

These days I do not treat fellow survivors any differently to anybody else. I also let them know that I am a survivor so they know I understand where they’re possibly at and they always seem a little surprised when I tell them this. I feel they trust you because you know what they’ve been through.

If I could give any advice to teachers working with people who are or have

experienced the disease, do not think of them any differently to anybody

else walking in with some kind of injury. You will find out quickly if they want to talk about it or if they would rather not. People with Breast Cancer or any

other cancer are still the same person they were the day they found out and

need to be treated as such. Let’s keep that in mind.

Lee has been a dedicated Pilates professional since 2003. She loved it so much decided to become a teacher and did her training with the APMA in 2005. Her passion for the Method is as strong now as it was back when an apprentice. Lee has taught literally thousands of hours of mat, barre and reformer classes as well as studio sessions and loves nothing better than teaching her clients to move with grace and ease and how to take care of their body to remain pain free. Lee currently teaches at Body Organics and Om Wellness in Brisbane.