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Flat is Fabulous - Stand Tall Aesthetic Flat Closure by VPA Athlete @tracycrushescancer

Flat is Fabulous - Stand Tall Aesthetic Flat Closure by VPA Athlete @tracycrushescancer

Another October, another breast cancer awareness month. My second since diagnosis. It is tough to weather the onslaught of pink, ribbons, walks, and "awareness" - I am aware of breast cancer every single moment of my damn life. I would like to be blissfully unaware of it - but that is not an option anymore. 

 

This October I decided to become an ambassador for Stand Tall Aesthetic Flat Closure, and last Sunday I led a team of brave flatties at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Denver. To be clear, we are not making strides against breast cancer. 1 in 8 women in the US will be diagnosed in her lifetime, and of those, 1 in THREE will go on to develop metastatic breast cancer and die from it. 1 in 3. That's where I live now....wondering if I will be the one. This hasn't changed appreciably in the 20 years since I graduated medical school - we are living longer after earlier diagnosis, and yes the 5 year survival looks great compared to some other cancers. But when you're diagnosed in your 20's, 30's or 40's with cancer, just five more years doesn't seem like a lot. And even though many of us will live those 5 years, many of us will still die decades later from breast cancer (see Suzanne Somers, obituary). 

Sobering, stressful, scary - these numbers are hard to ignore, and hard to escape. But in the meantime, I can at least advocate for body positivity after surgery, to avoid the pressure to get reconstruction, and to show other early stage patients that remaining flat is a beautiful choice. I don't begrudge anyone their implants, flaps, expanders, or multiple surgeries - but that was never going to be the plan for me. 

2 years later I have zero regrets about going flat. About removing a healthy breast for symmetry. About not "saving extra skin" for reconstruction later. I love not thinking about wearing a bra...ever. I am so grateful I had no complications, and I didn't have to put my body through the stress of multiple surgeries. But I got push back from my surgical team, also known as "flat denial", and multiple people tried to convince me I'd regret my choice. I do not. 

A woman spotted our signs and our group Sunday, and she made her Mom come say hi. Her mom had been flat for years, and never once felt proud or confident in her body. She saw us, and she cried. We had flattie hugs. Several other women saw us, and nodded or fist bumped or cried out "You're so brave."

I wish it didn't require "bravery" to be comfortable in your own skin. I wish these women felt whole, confident, and beautiful with their scars. I feel so grateful to show them they can. Thank you to all of the brave flatties who shared their photos with me before surgery so I could feel confident in my choice, and to all the women who walk topless and scarred and proud. I'm proud to call myself a flattie. 

Tracy Crushes Cancer

My journey with lobular breast cancer, stage IIB. 47 year old mom, wife, vegan, and 5x ironman.

https://tracycrushescancer.blogspot.com/

MEET SOME OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS

In 2022 we had 100 Team Members. BE APART OF THE FAMILY AND SHARE YOUR STORY

Meet Team VPA member Renee @runtrails_eatplants . It is her second year on the team and she has been helping out behind the scenes on our IG @team_vpa and our FB pages"Life is too short to stay inside your comfort zone, reach for the sky. I’m Renee and I am an ultrarunner living outside Atlanta, Georgia. 14 years ago, I went plant based for my health and I never looked back. After a bad foot injury, I discovered I loved lifting as much as I love running the trails. So, at the age of 50 I added lifting heavy to my training plan. I am passionate about spreading the message that age is no limit and you can not only thrive on a plant-based diet, you can help end animal cruelty and have a positive impact on the environment too. So, get out there and go for it!"

Welcome to the team@monica.strattonSport: Triathlon, Cycling, Running

"I have struggled for my entire life with food. It seems everything I ate made me feel sluggish or sick. My husband and I decided to try the vegan lifestyle and we have never felt better. My digestive system is running so much better and I feel I have more sustainable energy through my workouts and life. Being vegan has helped me fuel better for all my races and training.
I am very proud to be a vegan athlete. I have seen what it has done for me and my performance in all my sports. I want to share my story of how being vegan has changed my life in terms of how I feel on a daily basis and in sport. Being a professional athlete my students look to me and how I live my life and I am very proud to tell them how much better my body feels being vegan "

Welcome back@rjsacksVeganism saved my dad's life many years ago. He had horrible blockages in his heart and faced stents and a very dangerous operation, or seeing what would happen if he went whole food no oil plant based. He reversed his heart disease and is healthy as ever and still vegan. He never needed heart surgery. He is now 61 years old and still doing distance cycling rides. I started changing what I was eating during high school when my dad switched his diet. I made the complete switch after I met my boyfriend, a collegiate vegan runner at the time. I was mostly looking at veganism through a health lens until I met him and he helped me face the ethical dilemmas of eating animal products as well. Since I went vegan, my sister went vegan, my mom went vegetarian almost plant based, and my brother (who I thought would never change) has cut a significant amount of meat and dairy from his diet. My dad, boyfriend and I are all vegan cyclists currently. My whole immediate family is very open to veganism and eats vegan at family gatherings. Being vegan has been easy with supports like mine.
I feel strongly about spreading a positive message and hopefully helping make a change. Veganism saves so many animals, it can save people like my dad, and can save our planet. I can show other athletes that vegans aren't frail and sickly, we can compete and do well without eating animal products.

Welcome to the team@prost_1969I had high cholesterol high blood pressure and was 40 lbs over weight. The doctor said statins for the rest of my life because high cholesterol was in my family so I took things into my own hands. Since then I lost the 40 lbs and reversed all the other issues . I now also realize the impact going vegan has on the animals and the environment. I love cycling and running and by joining the team I can reach more people and show them that you can’t just survive without the use of animal products but thrive!!

Meet Team VPA athlete Shari. We are glad she joined us Meet“Hi team, this is my first year with Team VPA. I'm overjoyed to have found this team. I adore the mission statement because it reflects my beliefs too. I'm 48 years young, a small business owner, yogi, group fitness instructor, and outdoor enthusiast. My primary sport is Triathlon, but running will always be my first love with more than 6 marathons under my belt. Vegan for over 15 yrs. Before that vegetarian for 3 years. My biggest vegan athlete accomplishment was completing my first Ironman last year after many years doing Triathlons. This year I'm looking forward to enjoying long cycling tours in Europe! Follow my adventures on IG @sparks_vegan”

Welcome to the team@mattd_team_vegan_athletics"My name is Matt Dellaro. This is my first year as a Team VPA member as well as my first new year as an endurance athlete. I decided last February to buy a road bike and start cycling again after not having done it since my teens...I'm 51 now. I heard about short course triathlons and decided to see what I could do. I have 3 sprints behind me now as well as a 5k and 8k trail running races, a 5k road, two 10k races and a half marathon. I'm looking forward to longer triathlons as I get more comfortable with open water swimming, and working up to a 70.3 or even a 140.6. I've been vegan for over 8 years, and am so loving this new chapter in my life. Thanks to everyone at Team VPA who has been so helpful, supportive and just plain cool."

We are so glad you joined us@barefootjei"My name is Jérémie alias@barefootjei, I'm 28 years old and I'm from Normandy in France.

I have been vegan for 3 years now. I'm vegan for the animals! I'm so happy to have joined the team and to wear our colors in my country.

In 2022 I will be running every day to raise funds that will be donated to two Vegan associations.

My goal for 2022 is a 55km in May and another probably longer race by the end of the year."

"My name is Gloria Perez and I live in sunny Southern California. This is the first year I'm on Team VPA. I have been vegan for 4.5 years. I made the switch after my son inspired me. Becoming vegan has been one of the best decisions I've made for my health and of course for the animals and for the planet we all share. I have 3 sons and 2 grandsons. I've been running for 8 years. I've ran many distances, but my favorite distance is the half marathon. I enjoy both road and trail running. I also enjoy backpacking, cycling, lifting weights, OCR and traveling. One of my goals for this year is to start racing duathalons. I'd also love to do R2R2R (Grand Canyon). I'm also currently learning to speak French. "