Member-only story
I Fit Into A Dress From 25 Years Ago
It felt great to feel like a normal person again after battling cancer
Prior to getting married, when I lived in Colorado, I would often hike several times a week. Sometimes I would hit the trail at 7 in the morning and get off the mountain around 1 or 2pm. Since I usually took a break when I got to scenic vistas and would have something to eat and relax when I got to the top of the mountain, I was hiking 5–6 hours during those longer climbs. Even my short hikes generally had me going for a couple of hours.
After I got married, I gained some weight. We moved to Texas, and I no longer had mountains to climb.
However, there was a lake near my house. It was filled with wildlife, including a beaver dam at one end. The trail around the perimeter was a little over 5 miles, so that provided decent exercise.
As long as I got enough exercise, I didn’t gain weight. However, when work schedules interfered with my workout schedule, I put on pounds.
Then I got cancer.
The chemo poisoned my body and so drained my energy that it was years before I could do a decent amount of exercise again. I gained a lot of weight — almost 100 pounds.
