To Sur-Thrive Or Not

To Sur-Thrive Or Not
Name: Cynthia Ortiz
Pronouns: She/Her
Instagram: SyncerelySyn1

November 8th, 2016, I went from going to vote after marathon prepping to cancer pulling the brakes on what I thought I had control over – my life…

I was diagnosed with Stage 2b breast cancer 11 days before my 39th birthday. I sat with myself for all of 5 minutes, I thought of death, I thought of survival but mostly in that moment, it was all about the love of a mother for her children. I was in the best shape of my life training all year for the NYC marathon which was on my bucket list to do on my 40th bday, I quickly learned cancer does not discriminate. I decided to have my surgery a month later because I needed to get back to “normal”. I was in fight or flight mode. This only resulted in a different battle once the smoke cleared and I actually processed what I had just been through. Cancer did not kill me physically but the emotional damage it left me caused wounds that I would spend years healing. You can not come to know yourself as grand until you know yourself as small. 6 surgeries later and 5 years of medication and 2 years of therapy has brought me to a beautiful deeper relationship with myself. I found a deeper awareness and my life became purpose-filled. I suffered from anxiety my entire life but for all of the right reasons I was not anxious, my Faith was bigger than my Fears. I always say we do the inner work so we are prepared when we face moments that could knock us down. My kids call me their Warrior but it’s my love for them that gave me the strength to stand in the face of Cancer and say, “Fuck you cancer, not today!”

That May 2017 I ran, (not walked) the Chicago 39 Avon Breast Cancer Walk & in November 2017 completed the NYC Marathon a year to date of my diagnosis!

✌🏼&❤️

SyncerelySyn


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