“Never in my life would I have imagined doing a triathlon when I was 25,” exclaims Amandine. This environmental engineer in construction, originally from Grasse, will participate for the first time in her life in this competition which combines swimming, cycling and running during the Triathlon des Roses. This event, the aim of which is to raise funds for breast cancer research, will take place for the first time in Antibes, in the Alpes-Maritimes, on Sunday, after having taken place in Toulouse and Paris in September. .
“When people spoke to me about this competition, or when I heard about the Ironman in Nice, I said to myself that the people who participated were machines. And now I’m the one who’s going to do that, laughs the young woman. In addition, it’s symbolic because the route passes through places where I went when I was younger. It will be funny to go back to these corners where we talked about our problems which seemed insurmountable to us as teenagers to overcome my problems as adults today. »
“I’m going to win”
At the beginning of the month, she already took part in the “Jogging des roses”. “I managed to do 7 km in forty-five minutes, whereas running, basically, isn’t really my thing. Soon, I will also participate in the Nice Cannes marathon. Nothing is impossible ! »
The Niçoise even makes it “her personal challenge”. “The disease has, in a way, pushed me to realize these challenges. When you go through this kind of thing, you try what you would never have done. We are less afraid of the unknown since we live with it every day. And then, it’s also very important for me because I’m still going through my cancer treatment. I want to show that it is I who will win. »
Amandine, who was “a very good teenage swimmer” had “left the sport a bit aside while continuing to hike” when she started her studies but got back to it “thanks to illness”.
“It helps me feel better and it has significantly reduced the side effects of the treatment. It is necessary that women, whatever the age at which it happens to them, try to see the good side to bring out the best in themselves. I know it’s not easy. When I was diagnosed, I was 24 years old and I didn’t expect it at all. No one in my family had ever had breast cancer. I simply noticed something abnormal thanks to the self-examination. It was in March. And things went on. I had a partial mastectomy, oocyte preservation, then the first chemo at the end of May. The last one will be October 27. Then it will be radiotherapy. »
“It’s bad luck’s fault”
The announcement of the tumor was “very difficult” for the young woman. She adds: “You never prepare for this kind of news. At that point, we say to ourselves that it’s unfair, because I don’t smoke, I have a healthy lifestyle, I’m young. There’s no real reason, it’s bad luck, as they say. This is not obvious. I then looked for people to turn to and I found the Shaved Heads Gang and SOS breast cancer. Even once cured, I want to continue to be close to these structures, to give them back what they have given me and to be able to help on my own scale by showing that despite the illness, we can still benefit. Life doesn’t end there. »
The Niçoise is now focusing on her professional career and her future. “Beyond the scars, the changes in appearance, the ones in our life that we didn’t really choose, my main fear was not being able to have children. It is for this reason that I did oocyte preservation. In general, with breast cancer, I understood that everything is hanging by a thread. It allowed me to review my priorities and not procrastinate. »