Meet Mdha - you can follow her @loveandjha

Meet Madh. She has such a loving and bright personality and is sharing her story this week about overcoming her fears and learning how to love her body post diagnosis. I am so proud to be sharing her story.

My sister and I grew up LOVING Marvel comics and the X-Men (nerd alert!!!) So when we both got our BRCA1 diagnoses in 2015, we started calling ourselves "mutants." I was a D1 athlete in college, and I’ve been a lifelong dancer. Getting my diagnosis felt like the body I had known my whole life was playing this horrible joke on me. I found myself facing an unfamiliar level of dysmorphia and insecurity.  When my sister decided to go public about her diagnosis, I did too. Channeling Professor X, these mutant super powers were no longer something I wanted to be ashamed of. I had my mastectomy and reconstruction in November-December 2016. This recovery has been like competing in the most difficult, epic battle versus my cancer risk. The one thing that has kept me going is not wanting to lose who I am at my core. So as soon as my doctor cleared me, I was slowly pedaling on a recumbent bike. Within four months, I performed with my dance team at the Barclay’s Center. At month six, I started training for my first half marathon. During that training period, my boyfriend of three years broke up with me. As devastated as I was, I started realizing that maybe my ex just couldn’t accept me for the super hero that I was meant to be. In a weird way, it was fuel. On month 10, I ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon. And at thirteen months post-op, I ran my second half marathon in Miami. This past year has been painful, frustrating, and TERRIFYING. But it has also been SO, SO empowering. Yes, I am still learning how to love my super hero body, and I know that the battle is still not over. But, I'm a mutant and I’ve really started feeling proud of it 💕