Tennille Marsh never expected to find out she had breast cancer when she was 34. But determined not to be defined by the diagnosis, and after five years of surgery, she plans to run her first marathon.
Ms Marsh, who is training to take part in The Canberra Times Marathon Festival on April 10, says the sport has played a huge role in her cancer recovery while also maintaing her physical and mental health.
"There's a lot of research saying exercise during chemo is really good for you, so I've always been pretty fit but I think one of the first questions I asked my surgeon after I was diagnosed was, 'When can I get back to the gym?'," Ms Marsh said.
"Marathon training obviously takes time and it was unique because I would get a bit of fitness and then do another surgery and so started a bit from scratch again, so I knew I needed a good block after my last surgery to be able to train for the marathon."
Ms Marsh made the decision to have a double mastectomy alongside her chemotherapy and radiation treatments because her cancer was diagnosed at stage three.
"I went through a reconstruction which was hideous for a year because I got some massive infections and ended up very sick in hospital and then two years after that, I made the decision for preventative reasons to have my ovaries out," she said.
"Cancer is something that hits you hard and you do go through a bit of a revaluation and ask yourself what are some bucket list things that you'd like to do and a marathon was one of them.
"I had two very close friends unfortunately not get through breast cancer and they were both two of the strongest women I've ever known. One of them was in the military and one wasn't and so whenever it gets tough I know they'd be pretty proud of me."
Ms Marsh, who also works in the miliary, said her workplace had been supportive throughout her experience.
"Obviously [in] my job I have to maintain fitness standards and some of this is push ups. They have also been wonderful for me through my journey through paying for all my treatment and giving me as much time off as I needed," she said.
"Whenever I've had a cancer scare, I've had to tell my bosses and I think they've been more nervous about it than I have been."
