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Facing the Challenge of Breast Cancer

One Woman's Story of Breast Cancer Survival

By Gwen Morrison

The camaraderie and inspiration that Caldwell experienced during the event was awe-inspiring, she says. "The next year I did the whole thing – relay, cycling, swim and run."

After the triathlon, Caldwell continued to participate in cancer-inspired run events including the "Race for the Cure." She feels strongly that this was a key ingredient in her recovery process.

In 1999, Caldwell underwent reconstructive surgery. "I met with a plastic surgeon and decided on a tram flap procedure," she says. "I didn't have any other option because of the radiated skin on my chest. So I scheduled this operation the end of June 1999."

Seven weeks after the surgery, she attempted a climb at Mt. Rainier with Team Survivor in Seattle, Wash. "My doctor had told me not to do any strenuous exercise while my new breast was healing," she says. "He thought I was crazy when I asked about Mt. Rainier, but he finally relented, telling me not to carry weight more than 8 pounds."

It was on this hike that Caldwell met her future husband. "I was walking pretty briskly off by myself, and Steve caught up to me and asked if I would like some company," she says. "He joined me and from then on we were on the same rope teams and pretty much inseparable. We told each other our life stories. I told him about my cancer, and the road I'd traveled since then. He told me about his good friend's mother who had recently had a mastectomy and tram flap reconstruction and that he was doing the climb for her."

After the climb was over, the two exchanged numbers, started dating and were engaged the following year. The year after that at the Team Survivor climb at Mt. Rainier, they were married.

"My husband had always wanted to have children but he knew the odds I was facing," Caldwell says. "Because I was a cancer survivor could pose a potential problem. I didn't know what all those cancer treatments had done to my eggs."

Want to see more?

• Breast Cancer: Get the Facts
• The Breast Cancer Quiz
• Pregnancy After Breast Cancer: One Woman's Experience
• Check out our Article Library.
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