It’s a real challenge, a “thumb” to cancer, that Florence Guelennoc has taken on. This 51-year-old from Quimper was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2022. After 33 radiotherapy sessions, she will realize her dream: participating in the New York marathon this Sunday, November 5. A hell of a challenge that she will take on, surrounded by her family, Team Guelennoc.
Florence is an executive assistant at the Bigard company. Very sporty, she promised herself to participate in the New York marathon for her 50th birthday. She therefore registered on a waiting list for the 2023 edition. But fate will play a nasty trick on her: on December 3, 2022, during the 50th birthday mammogram, she will be diagnosed with grade 1 cancer . “A good Christmas present. They wanted to operate on me before the holidays but I asked them to postpone it until January to celebrate Christmas,” Florence remembers. After the operation, she learned with relief that she would not need chemotherapy, only 33 sessions of radiotherapy. She finished her sessions on April 19, still motivated for the marathon.
“Sport and cancer, the engine of healing”
“I had not canceled my participation. When I saw my doctor for a check-up, being in remission, I told him that I had two plans for 2023: thalassotherapy and the marathon. For thalassotherapy, he flatly refused, but he validated the marathon, explaining to me that sport and cancer combined was the engine of healing.”
Florence began training every day, running even when she was tired, forcing herself to keep the pace, alone, determined not to confine herself. The fate continues once again since the radiotherapy sessions caused him lymphatic thrombosis. “Despite rehabilitation, I have not yet regained full mobility in my arm but that does not stop me from running, on the contrary. By swinging my member, I make it work. »
“We think it only happens to others”
Florence is ready to cover the 42 km of the marathon this Sunday, November 5, among the 50,000 participants. She will not be alone since nine members of her family, including her brother and her son, will also participate in the marathon. “It will be Team Guelennoc. We will all have fuchsia t-shirts with the logos of the League against Cancer and Kiss, as well as a logo specially created by Les Apprentis d’Auteuil de Priziac, representing a statue of liberty carrying a Breton flag.
She will be supervised by a medical team and will have cardio monitoring to check if everything is going well. “Regardless of the ranking, I only want to finish the marathon. As I said, it’s a snub to cancer. We think it only happens to other people and then… I insist on the importance of prevention, especially after 50 years. »
2023-11-04 07:00:00
#remission #cancer #Quimperoise #tackles #York #marathon
