Janice Dilello had spent over 30 years working in the fitness industry and had never been sick a day in her life. You can imagine her despair when she was diagnosed with breast cancer... but you would be wrong.
“This whole experience changed my life for the better,” Janice adamantly proclaims. “It made me see my life more fully, more clearly.”
If you think her words are all just rhetoric, read on.
Janice has an amazing spirit.
When asked for her occupation,
she replies “manager and milker.”
Say what?
“I am a life empowerment coach. I work to empower people to reach their full potential.”
And the “milker” job? Janice gets up at 3:30 in the morning three days a week to milk 100 cows at a local farm. Janice enjoys the peacefulness, yet also thrives on the animals’ energy.
Janice was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2005 following a routine mammogram.
“I was so blessed to go for my annual mammogram. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of getting this annual test,” Janice advises. “[My cancer] would have spread for sure.”
She underwent two lumpectomies, the first of which showed she did indeed have cancer.
Following her second lumpectomy, Janice was able to begin radiation in October 2005.
“One day while I was on the table getting radiation, I decided I was going to hike the Inca Trail. I got off the table and consulted with my doctor.”
A marathon runner himself, Janice’s doctor, Hunterdon radiation oncologist, Douglas Fein, MD, could relate. Recognizing her background as an adventure traveler and her previously spotless medical history, Dr. Fein agreed she should take the trip.
Two weeks after completing radiation treatment, Janice spent four whole days hiking one of the most awe-inspiring mountain ranges in the world: the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
Upon her return, Janice has continued her regular visits to the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center. After her third lumpectomy in April 2006, she was rewarded with benign results.
Janice was declared in remission in August 2006. To celebrate the news, she traveled to Spain in October for yet another outdoor adventure.
