Courtesy of Inalee Tan
Inalee Tan is the owner of Thomas General Contracting and a former professional dancer. Over a three-year period, Tan battled back-to-back cancer diagnoses and a pelvis fracture, only to come back stronger and more positive than before. She credits her recovery and support in her journey to physical therapy, Healthy New Albany’s I Am Thriving project and the medically integrated fitness facility at The Ohio State University’s Health and Fitness Center in New Albany.
Her interview with Healthy New Albany magazine is edited for space and clarity.
The Beginning
Originally, I performed professionally. Then I came back to join the family business, which is poured wall, excavation, and concrete and flatwork. But when I came off tour, originally, I had taken some bad falls during some practices, so my back always hurt me. I always knew I had that and just had to stay active and healthy.
That all changed three years ago when I got diagnosed with cancer, endometrial cancer. I had the surgery, a full hysterectomy, and went back for the one-month checkup. Everything was great, cancer was gone, I was happy. Went back for three-month checkup, only two months later: new cancer. From that experience I had to go through radiation and brachytherapy (where radioactive material is placed inside the body to fight cancer cells). Then my gynecologist/oncologist asked me to consider a clinical trial with chemo with the radiation, low dose chemo with radiation. Most likely, they said, it probably wouldn’t help me but … other women facing the same thing. I thought about it and my husband told me it’s totally my decision. I decided it was the right thing to do. So, I went through the clinical trial with the chemo and the radiation and also the brachytherapy at the same time.
It threw my immune system really low, as most cancer survivors go through that. Mine wasn’t as drastic, I didn’t lose all my hair. My hair thinned out and it changed, my body changed and I was
very weak. I still had a company that I owned that I needed to run, but I had such great supervisors that work for me, so they jumped in to help with me, which allowed me to not be in the field anymore.
I finished that in late spring and then in late summer I took a fall. It took like three months before I had enough energy to start to walk again. At that point, I was using the walker and the rollator just because I was weak. One day, I turned the rollator around to sit. It shoved back and I fell really hard on the cement. I didn’t realize at that time that I had fractured my pelvis. So that put me into the hospital and then a skilled nursing facility, which I still did all my work from a laptop at that time.
Unfortunately, following (home care) I was going to go to (physical) therapy and then in March we had the lockdown. No therapy, couldn’t do any of that. As soon as lockdown was lifted, (my doctor) allowed me to return to therapy. That’s where I met (The Ohio State University physical therapist) Lori DeShetler. Amazing physical therapist, truly amazing. What she’s been able to help me accomplish over these past few months has been nothing but outstanding.
Learning to Thrive
The real key when we talk about New Albany and that whole New Albany health organization was a project that they call I Am Thriving. Lori DeShetler is one of the coaches; she does the wellness aspect, not just your health but your whole being. She’s like a life coach in it and she did group sessions.
What’s really great about I Am Thriving, it’s not just the coaches and the teachers that we had there – it was the other women in this group. It’s cancer survivors, women of different backgrounds and cultures – the one thing we all have in common is that we’ve all had some kind of cancer. Either we’ve recovered from it or it’s still ongoing.
They bring together women that touch all parts of your mental, personal and your environmental being. There were coaches like Lori DeShetler, she did the wellness, going, “What are the plans? What are the things you think are standing in your way from achieving your goals?” Very uplifting, very motivating.
There was another coach who did mediation, yoga, oils. We did essential oils – incredible. Another coach was Molly Linek. She’s in nutrition and incredibly knowledge. She helped us know that we could do other things to still keep our body getting healthier and she was very forceful on that. Another, she was environmental, where you’re feeling down with the cancer and cancer treatments, nature is a great remedy. Chelsea Armstrong. She is the fitness coach for I Am Thriving. She’s a physical coach at the gym there at New Albany.
The other women may not have the same cancer I had or the same treatment, but we were all united because we knew what the other person had gone through. you could talk about your experience and have someone say, “Yeah, I so know how you’re feeling.” That was rejuvenating.
I felt like, when I was with those women that that load that I had kept for so long, I was able to share it with them. It was a comradery. That sounds awful to say that you become great friends over cancer, but, as bad as cancer is, this I Am Thriving group, that is the answer to bringing yourself back to who you are. I don’t think enough people know about this program.
Looking Forward
(I’m) thankful. That’s the only thing I can say. Thankful. I’m starting to get back to me. I’m stronger now than I’ve been since before the cancer treatment. My goal is to lose the cane by my daughter’s wedding. Lori and Chelsea think I can do it. I am going to walk down that aisle without the cane. I’m telling you: It’s going to happen.
Courtesy of Inalee Tan
Claire Miller is an editor. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com
