Air Force breast cancer survivor triumphs triathlon

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Christopher R. Morales
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  "I think sometimes we take advantage of simply being alive," said a survivor of breast cancer who finished the Gold Nugget Triathlon less than two years after being diagnosed.

Senior Master Sgt. Tracie Timmerman, 673d Force Support Squadron, Manpower and Personnel Flight superintendent, continues to recover from the hardships of treatment, but she won't let that get in the way of living her life.

"You have problems - sometimes forever - based off the treatment, not [so] much the cancer," Timmerman said. "I had lots of complications afterwards because it never really goes away."

After finishing her treatment of chemo and radiation therapy in September 2015, Timmerman experienced weight gain, fatigue and other issues. She recovers with the help of the Anchorage Young Cancer Coalition.

The AYCC is a group founded by Carey Carpenter, who was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer at the age of 34 in January 2013. She formed this group for other young adults who were diagnosed with cancer and needed a specific support group addressing younger life experiences like being a full-time student, a new parent, or starting a career - even all the above.

The group's objective is about enjoying life while meeting new people, who share this one grim circumstance.

"When I went, it was the first time I felt comfortable around a group of people and ... take off my hat," Timmerman said. "Being bald in front of them didn't matter because they have all been through that before and it was really helpful having them say things like 'This is the kind of lotion you'd want for the burns you'll get during radiation,' and 'Your hair is going to grow back in after this treatment.'"

"They are a really supportive group and it ends up feeling like family," Timmerman added. "And we do a lot together like the Gold Nugget Triathlon, barbeques, volunteering as a group and just hang out like friends."

Timmerman never heard of the Gold Nugget Triathlon before because it is an Alaska-exclusive event. It wasn't until Carpenter organized a volunteer opportunity as lap counters for the 2015 Gold Nugget Triathlon did Timmerman truly experience a scene like this.

"Just being a lap counter and cheering on the women with so much energy around felt great," Timmerman reminisced. "When I heard the announcer say that one of the ladies crossing the finish line was a breast cancer survivor, [as I stood] there with my bald head under a cap, I was completely amazed and thought maybe there was life after cancer, and one day I would be 'normal' again."

As Timmerman recovered from treatment, she never stopped exercising and eating healthy, but to participate in the Gold Nugget Triathlon, she overcame many fears.

"One of them being putting on a bathing suit and being afraid to step into the swimming pool," Timmerman added. "I had to go the pool with [Carpenter] to get over it, because we went through the same thing - we both had a mastectomy."

Timmerman said she feared getting on the bike because she hasn't been on one since her childhood. With the help of another friend she bought a bike and rode local trails like the Boniface Parkway Trail, in preparation for the race. She trained in the gym, on the treadmill and in a hangar on base, but only as much as she could do.

"During training, we would get on the stationary bike for 12 to 14 miles and running right afterwards to help the transition because it does feel really weird," Timmerman said. "Sometimes your legs don't want to change gears, so I practiced just that."

On game day, Timmerman, Carpenter and Heidi Voeller, all AYCC members and lap counters in 2015, walked into the 2016 Gold Nugget Triathlon together.

"When I got up to the Gold Nugget I thought, 'Oh no, this is not good, I'm not 100 percent, but I knew it would be OK if I was strong enough to get through the course no matter how long it took me,'" Timmerman said. "I thought, 'Yeah, I can do this race because you can walk your bike if you need to, walk on the run if you have to and doggy-paddle in the pool if you want to.'"

Despite not being fully recovered, she was determined to finish the race. Timmerman didn't expect other races to cheer each other on as they were being passed or passing one another.

"If you were running, it was a 'Good job!' and if you were walking 'Good job!'" Timmerman said. "My biggest fear was my body image, but being there amongst a thousand of other women with one common goal, to get to the finish line, I felt safe and unjudged."

Timmerman finished accomplished ... and tired. She swam 500 yards, cycled 12 miles and ran 4.1 miles in 3 hours, 4 minutes, 31 seconds, something she believed she would never do.

"This was my first triathlon, hopefully not my last, and just one of the many first-time events that I plan to fill my life with," Timmerman said. "Overcoming fears is difficult, but having people by your side as you walk through this is so encouraging and helpful. I had several friends by my side for this event and will keep them there for future ones."

"No matter [what] your situation is, you can overcome these challenging [events] in your life," Timmerman said. "I had cancer, I'm healing, I'm doing better, and now I'm just trying to live my life to the fullest."