We invite you to read Lesley Donaldson's story. The courageous decision, and the will to help other women deal with Breast Cancer.
Thank you Deon from "I Am Fitness" for your desire to create a fitness apparel collection designed to help and encourage women who have had to battle breast cancer.
These precious women are our mothers, sisters, grandmothers, aunites, cousins, friends, co-workers - sadly the statistics in Canada are 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
I'm Lesley Donaldson, may I share with you some of my story with the hope of it encouraging you and inspiring you to keep up the fight, to never quit, to never give up, to believe in yourself "Yes I Can & I Will" and for you to know that there are people who care about you; that you are seen & heard and you are still beautiful with or without breasts.
Breast Cancer attacked our family in 1994 when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She received that diagnosis within only a few months of starting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for her symptoms of menopause. My Mother's cancer treatment consisted of a lumpectomy, chemo and radiation. That treatment was successful for the next 10 years. Then, crushing news 2 weeks before Christmas, my mother had to undergo a single mastectomy to remove her breast that had now metastasized and threatened to take her life. It was a very aggressive cancer with no cure available at that time. But my mother was a warrior! She never gave up - she struggled every day to get dressed, eat, visit with her family, she hardly complained about the pain she was in - she just did it anyway.
There came a time when she knew she was not going to win this battle. The cancer had spread throughout her body. My mother though, was so strong mentally, that she chose her own place at the cemetery & chose her casket, she came face to face with death and stood her ground. Praise be to God.
My mother chose to remain at home, surrounded by her family and grandchildren who loved and cared for her all the days of her life.
It was a gift for me to be able to nurse my mother & pray with her, she was my best friend.
The time after my Mother passed away was a time of great trials. Our hearts were broken again with the sudden, highly suspicious death of my Father, my hero, while he was in Mexico in 2007. Our family was suffering with grief and trauma from the loss of both parents. Then, after 6 years of mourning, as a way to have closure for our family, we traveled back to Mexico to say goodbye to my father and press on with life as my father would say. Then, during that time in Mexico, while at the resort we were staying at, there was a women that came into our elevator with a stocking up one of her arms - I asked about it and she told me that "her breasts were full of cysts and that she had to have lymph nodes removed because now she has breast cancer." The door opened and she left, I will forever remember what she said to me but I can't remember what I said back to her, because all I could think about was my own mammograms - my breasts were full of cysts too - so I said to my husband, that if my mammogram goes horribly wrong, I am removing my breasts immediately. Well, that is exactly what happened to me. Only weeks after our return from Mexico, I attended my scheduled mammogram and it did indeed go horribly wrong. The doctor told me that I should come back in 6 months, I asked him can you tell me that in 6 months I won't have breast cancer? He said, no I can't tell you that. So I closed my eyes, prayed to God and made the decision to remove my breasts within the 6 month time frame. My Doctor agreed as she too could see the writing on the wall.
Before my mother passed away, she told me that she did not remove her breasts because it made her feel that she would not be attractive anymore. So she only removed one of her breasts once it had metastasized and had to be removed. Then she felt that she looked unattractive with only one breast. It was such a painful struggle for her to go through; along with the loss of her hair as a side effect from the chemo treatments. This whole nightmare is what women go through when diagnosed with breast cancer or facing such a diagnosis and having to decide on their plan going forward as each woman is different and each woman will have to choose a path that is right for them. I chose to have a double mastectomy in May 2013. I have never regretted that decision because it was right for me at that time in my life. With the help of my husband, dear family and friends my scars have healed. Ever since then it has been a dream of mine to somehow use these trials in my life to help others overcome similar trials in their lives.
Looking back at my life, it has been full of great trials but it has also been full of great triumph over those trials. I am now 55 years old.
I have been blessed with a loving husband for 30+ yrs, we have 4 grown children, 2 sweet grandsons, and we live and work a life we have created together, a life that we love and one that enables us to help others every day.
I had a choice after all the trials, the deaths of my parents and the double mastectomy to either have it render me ineffective or will I rise up and become stronger then before? My choice was "Yes I Can & I Will" rise up!
One of the major contributing factors to my ability to get up and press on was our work with the WNBF Canada. It literally saved my life. It gave me purpose and a community full of positive, like minded, perfectly imperfect people just like me - who struggle with life, who struggle with self image, self esteem, confidence, trauma, depression, sickness and anxiety - but they all have a goal to rise up and keep going, to never quit, no matter the circumstance.
In 2017 I started to train for the 2019 WNBF Calgary Naturals for the New You category. I struggled with a poor self image most of my life. I have always been what I called skinny, not fit or strong, just skinny. I didn't really know the difference until working with the WNBF Canada. There is a big difference between being skinny and being fit and strong. Then add the poor self image I had of myself being breastless as well. I didn't regret my decision, but that doesn't mean it wasn't hard to look at myself without breasts, because it was.
I struggled with confidence at that competition, I have a service dog named Ruby, and as a way to not chicken out, I took Ruby with me and we completed the competition. I was shocked to have won that category. What an honor that was. I will remember that day forever.
During that competition I had a vision to create a photo of me with my hair long, covering my scars to inspire women to see themselves - breastless and beautiful, the phrase "breastless is beautiful" came to mind. Well, 5 years later along with many trials requiring much strength both mentally and physically I rebuilt my body and I competed again with the 2024 WNBF Vancouver Naturals in the Grandmasters & Masters category in Vancouver, BC - one of the best days of my life! and I did it without my service dog!!
But there is a whole backstory to the time in between - the time of training and preparing for the Vancouver Naturals - it was a time to give up alcohol, eat more food than I ever have, accept my body, to accept my body in a bikini and accept my body naked. That was a time, that without my faith, my family, dear friends & my coaches helping me to process that and come to terms with how my body looks naked & breastless, without those people - I wouldn't have had the courage to compete or to be able to create the "Breastless is Beautiful" Collection by Shari Love Photography in support of Breastless women and Breast Cancer Awareness.
In order to help others, first, you must help yourself, then you are able to help others.
I am so thankful to be at a time in my life when I can give back to so many who are struggling with these same issues. I am thankful to Deon, I Am Fitness, that through the WNBF and the New You/Transformation category I met Deon and we shared our stories together and have the same desire to help and give back. I'm so excited, thank you for this opportunity!
My story continues, as I am training to compete either when I am 58 or for sure when I'm 60.
Either way, fitness is a lifestyle choice for me.
Lesley Donaldson
Executive Assistant to Ken Donaldson, ITR Polygraph
