'You'll never surf again': Mum smashes harsh diagnosis
Back on board and hitting the waves
Sunshine Coast
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BATTLING cancer can flip your entire world upside down, but one determined mum didn't let the diagnosis stop her.
Jaime Rodgers, 36, was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in January.
She has since had a double mastectomy, lymph-node clearance, six months of chemotherapy, and five weeks of daily radiation which she has just finished.
Doctors told the mother-of-two that after her double mastectomy she may never surf again.
But Jaime smashed that prognosis and was back riding waves after just two months.
She attributes her recovery on staying fit and healthy at Goodlife Caloundra.
"I used to exercise beforehand, and keeping that same part of my routine really helped," she said.
"When I was having chemo sometimes I felt really sick, so I'd go to yoga for nerve pain.
"Yoga has a lot of similar poses to surfing as well.
"But going to the gym and building up the strength helped.
"There's a physio at the hospital who motivated me, saying 'you don't have to stop doing what you love and that chemo is only a small part of your life'."
For Jaime, it was mind over matter.
"So many people at the gym are motivating and positive," she said.
"I developed some really nice friendships with the girls and instructors there."
Goodlife Caloundra instructor Belinda Symes said Jaime had been coming to her class for a year when she announced the news.
"She always came to the gym with a smile," she said.
"If I was having a down day, I'd see Jaime and knew I had nothing to complain about.
"It was so inspiring.
We all think she's pretty amazing, I'm glad she's got through."
Jaime's hair is growing back and she's now in the clear.
"I'll do check ups every 6 months, and my skin's still burnt but they said I'm cancer free," she said.
Originally published as 'You'll never surf again': Mum smashes harsh diagnosis
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