Be Your Own Superhero

BE YOUR OWN SUPER HERO

I FIRST LEARNED THAT JENNA WAS GOING THROUGH CHEMOTHERAPY AFTER SHE COMPLIMENTED MY HAIRCUT ONE EVENING AT THE TRAILS. I REPLIED WITH A COMMENT ABOUT THE SHORT HAIR SHE WORE SO WELL, NOT REALIZING THE LENGTH WAS BECAUSE OF HER CHEMO TREATMENTS. I FELT KIND OF AWKWARD WHEN SHE EXPLAINED IT, BUT SHE DIDN’T SEEM TO MIND MY IGNORANCE. WE DIDN’T TALK MUCH ABOUT IT THEN, BUT I KNEW WHAT SHE WAS GOING THROUGH WASN’T EASY, THAT CANCER COULD BE DOWNRIGHT DEVASTATING. BUT TO THIS DAY, I HAVEN’T SEEN JENNA SHOW ANY SIGNS THAT SHE’S BATTLING A DEADLY DISEASE. SHE’S ON HER BIKE EVERY CHANCE SHE GETS, SMIL- ING, POSITIVE—LIVING EVERY DAY TO THE FULLEST. I ASKED JENNA ABOUT LIVING LIFE WHILE BATTLING CANCER. HER RESPONSES WERE NOTHING SHORT OF INSPIRING.

BRIAN BARNHART: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BATTLING BREAST CANCER, AND WHAT HAS YOUR TREATMENT PROTOCOL BEEN?

JENNA CONTUCHIO: I was diagnosed in January 2016, so it’s been a little over a year and a half—damn, that’s nuts. I had chemo infusions that started in March 2016 and just ended in June this year. I had targeted radiation therapy every day for six weeks. I’ve had three surgeries. Currently, I am on six months of oral chemo. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Once the oral chemo is through, I’ll get my first scan in 10 months— fingers crossed!

BB: WHAT WAS THE DAY OF YOUR DIAGNOSIS LIKE? WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU HEARD THE NEWS?

JC: I was on a snowboarding trip up north with four of my closest girlfriends. We knew the diagnosis would come on the trip but decided to go anyway. We had crappy service, and I missed the call from the doctor. My friends sat holding hands in a half circle, watching me as I returned the call. As the doctor gave me the news, I gave a thumbs down to the girls, and one of them just started bawling. What the doctor said was not the news we were hoping for—in fact, it was actually much worse. When I got off the phone, I hugged everyone and told my crying friend that everything was going to be okay. She said, “You’re not supposed to be consoling me—I’m supposed to be consoling you!” I said, “Yeah, but you’re the one crying, so here we are.”

I knew the diagnosis wasn’t going to be good when I saw the ultrasound. I’d been to enough ultrasound exams for pets to know what cancer looks like on that screen. I knew before I called. Still, I had no idea just how bad the news would be or how bad it would continue to be throughout the year. But it just kept rolling in, and I kept rolling on.

I have always been strong, ever since I was a young kid. Everything does happen for a reason, so even when things aren’t going your way in a given moment, you have no idea what it might actually be preparing you for later in life. It might be big, but you’ll be more ready to face it having dealt with all the adversities life threw at you.

BB: SINCE THE DIAGNOSIS, WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE HARDEST CHALLENGES?

JC: Resting, for one. I am terrible at that. I would like to say the last 18 months have taught me something about slowing down, but even right now, I’m thinking about my first novice motocross race that’s coming up in two days and the work I need to do on my dirt bike to prepare. So much for life lessons!

Asking for help. I’m bad at that, too. I’m an only child, and my parents split when I was 14, so I have always done everything for myself. It’s hard for me to ask for help, even while I’m facing this constant struggle.

My entire family lives in Chicago. That has been hard. Maybe harder on them than on me, because I have so much family here in California and all over the world, really. My cousin called me a few days after the diagnosis and said she was panicking. She wanted to know if she should come to California. I told her there might be a time to panic, that it’s pretty likely there will be, but that the time is not now. “I will tell you when to panic,” I said. “For now, positive thoughts and energy are needed to fill the space where fear and sadness may be encroaching.” She felt better. I also assured her my California family is big and warm. The day after my diagnosis, we stopped at a random tattoo parlor on the way home and all got a giant coastal redwood tattooed on our arms for strength. When I showed my cousin that picture, she had a better understanding of what I meant when I said I had family here. She knew I had support.

BB: CAN YOU DESCRIBE A VICTORIOUS MOMENT YOU’VE HAD AND HOW THAT FELT?

JC: Last spring, in the middle of my chemo treatments, I went to the Little Big women’s dirt jump clinic at Truckee Bike Park. Sandwich and I drove up the night before and camped in the national forest nearby. I was feeling so crappy when I went to the clinic the next morning, but I really wanted to participate and learn to clear a double, so in between the morning clinic and the jump jam in the afternoon, Sandwich and I slept in the wood chips at the bike park. I woke up to somebody tapping me on the shoulder, asking if I felt like I could ride, and I was like, “hell yeah!” I got up, covered my bald head with my helmet, grabbed Tiny, and headed up to meet the other girls. I didn’t clear any doubles, but I rode in the jump jam with some super amazing female riders and had some really fun lady trainers. I learned a ton and made some great friends that day. Those are victories themselves.

BB: IT SEEMS LIKE RIDING MTB AND BMX, DIRTBIKING, AND SURFING HAS REMAINED PRETTY CONSTANT THROUGHOUT YOUR BATTLE. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO SUSTAIN THE ENERGY?

JC: To answer that question, I’ll give you my mantra: “Scientists have demonstrated that seemingly absolute physical limits are imposed by the brain, not the body.” I don’t remember where it comes from exactly, but I read it in some nerdy nonfiction science book and it stuck with me. All the times that I have felt exhausted, dehydrated, disoriented, fatigued, or any other complication from the treatment and mental anguish, I remember that quote. With those words, I keep moving forward.

BB: I KNOW YOUR DOG SANDWICH HAS BEEN BY YOUR SIDE THROUGH ALL OF THIS. WHAT DOES HE MEAN TO YOU?

JC: Sandwich, my main squeeze, the babest of babes! He was the one who got me to the hospital when the chemo was in overdrive attack-mode on my system. He is my trained service dog and the best friend a girl could ask for. I would not have had the same experience without him going through all this. He is my light.

BB: WHAT ARE SOME OTHER WAYS THAT YOU HAVE FOUND STRENGTH AND COURAGE THROUGH ALL OF THIS?

JC: Like I said, I have always been strong. I am also a very positive person. I have a contagious enthusiasm for life. Things can always be worse. Even now, I can say that with 100% confidence. PMA—a positive mental attitude—is SO important. It’s probably more effective than all the drugs someone could take. Honestly, my attitude and my outlook make a huge difference on a regular basis. Now is not the time to panic, now is the time to live—and kick some ass.

BB: TALK TO ME ABOUT YOUR PAINTINGS ON THE GRAFFITI TANKS AT UC SANTA CRUZ. WHY DID YOU DO THEM, AND WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY TO HIKERS, BIKERS, AND OTHERS WHO SEE THEM?

JC: I have painted my whole life. Sometimes I can’t express things with words the same way I can with color or texture or shape. I’ve done three tank paintings so far, and I’ve really enjoyed being a part of the local MTB tradition.

The first time, I painted some sea turtles. I love sea turtles! I did sea turtle research in the Caribbean and Bermuda for a couple of years. Sea turtles are like the dinosaurs of the sea. They have persevered despite all the adversity they face on a regular basis. I find them to be so remarkable and inspiring. Unfortunately, most things we do have a negative impact on them, so I was hoping someone would see the painting and think about sea turtles, even for a moment.

Next up, I painted the redwoods. Duh, right? Makes sense—also been around a long time. They are strong. They are rooted. They have a large support system.

Finally, in celebration of my third surgery, I did the bolt-ons (breast implants). Hey, you have to take the good with the bad, right? On a positive note, I now have super terrific boobs—and they will be that way forever!

BB: NAME ONE THING THAT THAT YOUR FUTURE SELF WILL BE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT, MAYBE EVEN IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

JC: Being done with all this shit. Knock on wood. Cross your fingers. Whatever it is you do, do it. Later in life, who knows. I am stoked every single day that I am here, doing the things I love to do and spending time with the people who matter to me. I am stoked to ride, surf, braap, take road trips, and explore the world. I think the stoke will still be high with my future self.

LIVE!

Live your life every day and live it how you want to.

Don’t listen to the can’ts, won’ts, and nos.

Go outside. Get in the woods and the water—they are places of healing. Be your own superhero.

Make life what you want it to be. Don’t let fear overcome you. Be strong. Keep the wheels rollin, and get dirty along the way. Smile. People like that.

Like Guy French says, if you’re having fun, you’re shredding.

Shred life. Right now. Go.