Cancer survivor: Lina Prevedel
Lina Prevedel
Lina Prevedel has always been passionate about sports. For one thing, she works for the Ontario Indoor Soccer League for Youths, and her two sons, Enrico and Stephen, have grown up playing on several sports teams. So when Lina was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005, she refused to miss any of her sons' games. “I kept saying I had to be even stronger. I can't let these people down,” Lina says. “Even though I slept through everything, I was there…Whenever there was a family function I'd still go.”It was Lina's family, both immediate and extended, that helped her cope with her illness. Her husband Ronnie assumed the role of cooking dinner and often took her teenage sons grocery shopping. Words of encouragement from her sons, like “You look great. You always look good,” reassured Lina when she was coping with her hair loss. Lina's cousin also recommended she attend workshops like those offered through LGFB. “When I was diagnosed I felt like the only one,” Lina says. But at the LGFB workshop Lina was able to take off her wig and still feel beautiful. “We didn't have to pretend it was our hair.”
From then on, she had the confidence to wear a baseball cap instead of an itchy wig. “It's more relaxing. More me.” A true sports fanatic, Lina didn't have the strength to continue her regular exercise routine while in treatment. But now, in her mid-40s and in remission, she's bike riding and going to Aquafit classes once again. Aside from staying active, Lina is always there for her family. “You always have to be involved,” she says. “No matter what.”
Find inspiration from more outstanding women with Shared Stories and Personal Growth from our Life & Balance section.
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