Community Corner
“Survivor Chick” Shares Story of Fight, Triumph Over Cancer
Less than a year ago, 29-year-old Katie Anderson was diagnosed with breast cancer. But she didn't let that stop her from swimming nearly a mile, biking 56 miles and running 13 miles during the Ulman Cancer Fund's Second Annual Half Full Triathlon.
In February, 29-year-old Katie Anderson’s body turned on her.
During a routine trip to the gynecologist, the robust marathoner and triathlete found out she had a lump in her breast.
“At first I didn’t really think anything of it, being 28 at the time and very healthy and fit,” Anderson explained. “My friends always say I’m the healthiest one of us. But it came back and it was cancer.”
Find out what's happening in Ellicott Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
After the diagnosis came the mastectomy. Then the reconstructive surgery. Then the pain and soreness.
But during the early morning hours of Sunday, Oct. 2, while most residents were asleep, Anderson launched herself into the frigid waters of Centennial Park with a smile on her face and a goal in mind—to keep the fight alive.
Find out what's happening in Ellicott Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“When I was diagnosed in March I wanted to be able to do this race and my doctors said, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know if you’ll be able to do this race,’” Anderson said. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to get back in that water and swim so it was a motivator for me. It got me out of bed when I wasn’t feeling good…It gave me something to look forward to.”
As Anderson took to the water for her nearly one-mile swim, the race announcer said over the loud speaker, “There goes the survivor chicks.”
Anderson was one of thousands of athletes to compete in the Ulman Cancer Fund’s 2nd Annual Half Full Triathlon that, in addition to the swim, included a 56-mile bike ride and a 13-mile road race.
For Anderson, it was not unlike challenges she’d faced in the past.
“I’ve gone through a mastectomy," she said with a wry smile, "so I can do anything.”
A self-described “strong woman,” Anderson says she loves to compete.
Anderson had signed up for the race before she realized she had cancer. She had competed the year before in honor of friends and her father, Patrick Anderson, who is a pancreatic cancer survivor.
Throughout the race, Anderson’s parents, along with her boyfriend, Kent Forde, cheered her on, often driving alongside her to keep her going.
When Anderson crossed the finish line in just over six hours, the group shared in her tears.
“It was inspiring for me; she was my rock when I was going through this,” Patrick Anderson said. “She is a remarkable young woman and I couldn’t be more proud of her.”
As he stood near the finish line, watching Anderson hug her mother, Patrick Anderson wiped away tears.
“She symbolizes determination and will and guts; to look cancer in the eye and say, ‘No way,’ and then to demonstrate that,” he said, his voice raspy with emotion.
Besides being an athlete and a cancer survivor, Anderson is a third grade teacher in Washington, D.C., where she lives. She’s also an Americorps graduate.
She says her hope for the future is to “keep things in perspective” and to stay positive.
“Life is hard, life is challenging,” Anderson said. “I do pray that I can be a positive person who lives in the moment and doesn’t get hung up on things that don’t really matter.”
She offered this advice to other young women in her shoes: “It’s scary and it’s hard but your attitude is everything. If you think you can get through it and if you stay positive, then you are going to be OK…It will be hard but you can get through it. You will be a survivor.”
To learn more about the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults, click here.
