Those who know Chris Kaighn love her for her strength and resilience, and for imparting her wisdom of yoga practices at GoYoga in New Albany. She knows the importance of listening to her body and following her instincts. Having been presented with immense health challenges throughout her life, she learned this lesson earlier than most.
“I grew up in this unremarkable, happy life. Just a kind of average kid in a small town and great family and all those good things,” Kaighn says. “When I was in college, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I was really fortunate to have parents who were health advocates for me, but being adopted, I didn’t know my health history.”
As traditional as her upbringing might have been, her college experience soon became extraordinary. She underwent substantial amounts of radiation and surgery through the University of Pennsylvania to treat the disease. The radiation was successful but brought some other issues along with it.
“The way they conducted radiation in the ’80s in particular caused an enormous amount of damage to my body, and over the years, I was challenged with radiation-related health issues that were very serious,” Kaighn says.
One of these issues was the growth of pre-cancerous nodules on her thyroid. The following year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I caught it very early because I am very good about following up with self-examinations,” Kaighn says.
She shared some details about her diagnosis that she credits as being one of the most impactful moments in her health journey.
“The very first doctor that diagnosed me and gave me my biopsy and told me that I had cancer, when my mom and dad were on either side of me – that’s the moment you never forget,” Kaighn says. “I basically went out of the office and told my parents I wasn’t going back to that doctor and we should find another doctor. I was 18 years old and I’m, like, firing this 40-year-old man. I didn’t like how he talked to me; I didn’t like what he was saying.”
Thanks to her due diligence in listening to her body and her assertiveness with her doctor, breast cancer was one more obstacle that Kaighn was able to overcome.
Still, she wasn’t out of the woods yet. During her time as a retail expert at the clothing store Justice, she found herself noticing another troubling symptom: breathing issues.
“I saw the doctor and they said it was asthma, and another doctor said it was asthma,” Kaighn says. “I went to my oncologist to follow up with my breast care doctors. I basically said to her, ‘Something is wrong. This is not asthma. I need you to help me figure out what is wrong.’”
As it turned out, two of her heart valves were failing due to radiation damage, and she needed a double valve replacement and full open heart surgery.
“That is probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned is to be an advocate for my health: to really stand up for yourself and you really have to. Some people avoid getting tests and mammograms because they really don’t want to know the truth,” Kaighn says. “I am always one to encourage people to be advocates for themselves. I know I repeated that a lot, but I don’t think it can be overplayed. I’ve done it myself when you’re in a conversation with a doctor. They seem to know what they’re talking about. It can be easy not to ask, but always follow your heart and go with your gut and advocate when things don’t feel right.”
Nowadays, she uses the practice of yoga as another way to be an advocate for her health and leads the New Albany community in doing the same.
“I had always been into yoga from a physical wellness standpoint, but had never been really, really serious about it until about a year before my surgery, and I had no idea that I had this looming, lurking heart thing about to happen,” Kaighn says. “I really threw myself into yoga and began to both really commit to it from a physical practice, but also the mindfulness and wellness mentality that it brings, which is really the real gift of yoga.”
"I was breathing, practicing yoga. It was a life-changing element that got me through that experience,” Kaighn says.
Practical ways that she says yoga helps in her everyday life include finding her inner calm and sense of peace, managing her pain, managing fear, staying in the moment, and extending trust. When she awoke from her surgery, these practices were what she turned to in order to gain strength.
“I woke up intubated, I was confused, I was in pain, I didn’t know where I was or what I was doing. I was breathing, practicing yoga. It was a life-changing element that got me through that experience,” Kaighn says. “Then when I healed, the minute I was allowed out of the house, I was back in that yoga studio. I couldn’t lift my arms. I used that to help strengthen my body and to help strengthen me on the inside as one.”
Kaighn teaches four times a week at GoYoga, helping others to find their own strength through yoga. Anyone who knows Kaighn should know that giving up isn’t part of her vocabulary, and she doesn’t plan to give up her practice at GoYoga, nor her passion for life in New Albany, any time soon.
“We have found Ohio, particularly New Albany, to be an amazing place to raise a family. Really great people, really great opportunities,” she says.
Fit Five with Chris Kaighn
Chris Kaighn’s Top 5 Yoga Poses
- Triangle
- Tree
- Garland
- Camel
- Half moon
- Bonus: Reclined butterfly
- Bonus: Meditation
Caitlyn Blair is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
