Port Charlotte Sun from Port Charlotte, Florida • D6

PAGE 6D Tuesday, OcTOber 29, 2019 The Sun www.yoursun.com By KAYLA GLEASON suN cOrresPONdeNT Emily Rhoads is originally from New Jersey but now resides in Parrish, Florida. When were you diagnosed? Nov. 30, 2017, at age 26. What treatment did you receive? 16 rounds of IV chemotherapy 4 dose-dense and 12 Taxol, bilat- eral mastectomy with tissue expand- ers placed, 30 rounds of radiation, five months of oral chemotherapy and two reconstructive surgeries (with at least 1 more to go). What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them? I faced many obstacles along the way.

The first of which was when I lost my hair. I have a wig I liked at the time so, between the trauma of your hair coming out in clumps in your hands, as well as not having a wig to I had a really tough time. The second was when I lost my job a month into chemo, trying to figure out how we were going to survive financially without my income. I also had to have an emergency surgery because of an infection. But the worst obstacle of them all is just the battle that goes on in your own mind.

I looked as bad as I felt. I was trapped in my own body the body that was trying to kill me with no escape. It was miserable. I was able to overcome them by having an incredible support system that rallied around me, focusing on the positive and finding the good or the lesson in every situation. Mindset is truly everything when fighting cancer.

What was the most challenging part? The most challenging part of this experience has actually been in the survivorship, for me. When going through treatment, you know doing everything you can to fight this disease. tough but at least in the fight. Survivorship, on the other hand, feels lonely and many times, terri- fying. I face a chance of recur- rence, with the first five years being the riskiest.

My cancer was triple negative. This makes treatment and prevention options limited. Every ache, pain or change in your body is accompanied by the overwhelming fear of recurrence. Because a recurrence anywhere outside of the breast means terminal. trapped in a body you cannot trust.

Where did you find the greatest support? I am very blessed to have had the support my amazing husband, family and friends. I also found the greatest support in the very place your parents warn you about growing up strangers online! I found The Breasties, an organi- zation that is dedicated to providing community and support to young women affected by breast and reproductive cancers. Finding this community of strangers online was the lifeline I needed to help get me through. Even in survivorship I stay connected to this community and help cultivate community here locally as an ambassador to the Florida Breasties. How has this affected your relation- ships with friends and family? It brought me much closer to my husband and family and a few friends.

I feel a deeper love, connec- tion and forgiveness between us all and very thankful for that. How has this affected you? I will always be thankful for the perspective gained through this fight for my life. And as tough and frustrating as it is to completely restart my life again, thankful for my chance to press the button. What advice would you share with others? The biggest piece of advice I wish I could shout from the rooftops is be your own advocate. I was misdiag- nosed because I was and I accepted this for 10 months.

Those 10 months cost me my life and I will never make that mistake again. I was also brushed off when I had a serious infection and when I started showing symptoms of lymphedema. You know your body better than anyone else, if something feel right, stop fighting for answers. Your life and your health could literally depend on it. Emily Rhoads I AM A SURVIVOR: a TrIbuTe TO cOuraGe 31 days devoted to the stories of breast cancer survivors PHOTO by POrsHIa HerNaNdeZ PHOTOGraPHy By LUAINE LEE TrIbuNe NeWs serVIce BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.

Canadian comedian Meredith MacNeill was down to her last pair of slacks, her coat spliced with duct tape, when she landed the job of her life in her native Nova Scotia. got this job as a writer-performer for a couple of weeks and on this show, Hour Has 22 which was in Halifax, back in Canada. I was so thrilled to have a she says. MacNeill had already spent 12 years in England training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and performing in such prestigious plays as and Taming of the She seemed destined for a career in the theater. But life got in her way.

was pregnant and knew I was probably going to be a single mother, so I lost everything and moved back home in my house, back in the fishing she says. went home with a suitcase, just for my daughter. And I had to start over at 36. But the most incredible thing came from That turned out to be her joining three other women and forming von Sketch which returns to IFC and IFC. com for its fourth season Oct.

30. While she was performing in England, landed a part in her first sketch comedy, Stroke the U.K. I noticed there were lots of female-fronted shows like Catherine Victoria she says. the states there was Amy Poehler, Tina Fey. And in Canada I seeing the same thing.

So I took the idea of Stroke sketch comedy because I knew the model and put the feminist voice behind that. And I started to write just the basic idea of what the show was. I met the amazing Carolyn Taylor there, and I approached her and said, have an idea for a I literally just met her, and she was a writer on the show, and we barely knew each other. Then she said, and introduced me to Aurora Browne, Jennifer Whelan. They all worked together for, like, 20-plus years.

And the four of us created the sketch show together. When was picked up by Canadian television, MacNeill and her daughter (now 8) left her home and moved to Toronto. I still give up my Nova Scotia she says. whenever the show is down, which is only two months of the year, I go back to Nova grew up in Amherst, which is up against the massive Tantramar Marsh. For me, it was a really beautiful place.

And in junior high I started she recalls. the fastest runner, but I just loved it. I ran on this dirt road all by myself, and having that time alone was just my own, and that really changed me. I used to spend that time visualizing how I would succeed in life, how I would tackle a problem, how I would get out of my town and move on. Running on the marsh, visualizing that, really changed me.

always gone back to she says. She was not into competitive track, she says. was never really that good. built like Chuck Norris long body and short legs. I fast, but I really enjoyed From the time she was 7, she also enjoyed performing.

was two women in town that started a theater program called Beverly True and Betty Douglas, and I owe them every- she says. it for them, I be doing this. They started a group for adults and one for children, and I joined the group and stayed with them until I was in high They not only taught her theater, they bolstered her self-confidence. made me feel OK at it. It like, going to be an It was just, OK at and just kind of threw everything at that I just know I would be good at any- thing she says with a shrug.

thought, if joined a recorder group, would I have been a musician? If I was in a pottery class? If I was in the science It was kind of what was on offer. happy I did it. It turned out. I feel like gained so much experience from it to be able to travel, lived in the U.K. for a long time, the show is great, but I often wonder if I was a kid and someone came and started a group, what would I Meredith MacNeill talks about career path and von Sketch The series starts its fourth season Oct.

30 TNs Comedienne Meredith MacNeill is one member of Baroness von Sketch a comedy quartet that returns to IFC for another season of laughs on Oct. 30. JacKIe Meredith MacNeill (top) and Jennifer Whalen are two members of the sketch comedy group starring in Baroness von Sketch returning to IFC on Oct. 30. Freedom Rehab Aquatic Therapy 3545 Massini Ave North Port FL The loss of a drivers license has an overwhelming impact on the life of senior citizens.

seniors that have to give up driving become dependent for transportation to medical appointments. One such appointment is for physical therapy. We feel that the residents of assisted living communities are hardest hit because they can have some physical limitations and drive for rehabilitation. We feel that this population is at risk for hospital and nursing home admittances and that physical therapy can maintain independence, balance and strength keeping them home and reducing their risk for falls. We at Freedom Rehab Aquatic Therapy decided to address this problem and have Purchased a wheelchair accessible bus to bring patients of Assisted Living facilities and some mobile home parks in Venice, Englewood, North Port and Port Charlotte to our pool in North Port.

In addition to providing free transportation for minimum of 3 persons per transport, we are offering a free land based exercise class cally designed for seniors and we will be holding it at their facility. We also would like to share our knowledge and experience as therapists by presenting our community education series which will be lectures on such topic such as Balance and fall prevention (complete with Balance screens), reducing back pain, Coping with COPD and more held at their facilities. We feel that our community service program will our seniors with physical strength and useful information to keep them happy and healthy. When a person is in chest deep water they are only weight bearing on their joints and spine which makes exercise pain free and enjoyable. Our seniors that may not have exercised in a while will nd it a pleasure and will get a head to toe workout focusing on such things as core strength and balance.

Please call Freedom Rehab Aquatic Therapy 941 400-1505 to get more information and arrange your Free ride. 941-400-1505House call service in N.P., P.C. P.G..