Meet Breast Cancer Survivor Mary Schmitt

Culture
A running trail through the woods

THE RUNNING ROAD TO RECOVERY

In 2012, Mary Schmitt, of Middletown, Conn., was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 44 years old and had plans to run a handful of 5Ks and a half marathon with Fleet Feet Sports West Hartford.

Shortly after the diagnosis, she reached out to her family and Stephanie Blozy, owner of Fleet Feet Sports West Hartford, to share the news. “Steph was a huge behind-the-scenes cheerleader,” she says. “She kept my spirits up and gave me the strength and encouragement I needed to step up and fight.”

As her treatment progressed, Schmitt knew that she likely wouldn’t be able to run the half marathon. So, she wrangled some friends and family members and ran the full marathon as a relay.

She also set an immediate goal: to run a 5K three months after her first surgery and during treatment.


A runner posing for a photo after a race

The Road to Recovery

“For me, running was a very important part of my process,” she says. “It helped me to take control of the situation and allowed me to feel like myself again. After we set up my treatment plan and arranged all my doctor’s visits, I kept my 5k goal in mind.”

She had surgery in March, chemo every week for the first three months, then chemo every other week for about eight months, followed by another surgery the April before her race. The road to recovery was indeed long and arduous and filled with challenges at every turn.

Schmitt says that after that first surgery it was far more difficult to get out of bed than she could have ever imagined. “You don’t realize all the little muscles you use for daily tasks,” she says. Patience was paramount to her process. For her, the determination to get back to running after treatment was a huge motivating factor.

Still, for as many days as she felt positive, she also had days filled with tears. “I definitely was afraid,” she says. “You just don’t know what’s going to happen and you have to let yourself feel those moments.”

Perhaps more than anything, believing that she was on the right path helped. She used a simple motto: believe.

That single word helped Schmitt to accept her route and direction, and know it was the right choice for her.

Day by day, with support from her friends, her family, and her doctors, she made it through.

Race Day and a New Chapter

It was a dreary, rainy day. Schmitt had a hard time waking up. She knew that family and friends would be there to cheer her on, though, and so she pulled herself out of bed. Just before the gun went off, the rain cleared—it was a serendipitous signal of fresh start, a new chapter.

Schmitt hit her race goal that day and says that for the first time in a long time she felt like herself again.

It’s been five years since her diagnosis and, today, she’s not shy about helping others. “I tell everyone to stay on top of their appointments. If something has been abnormal for a couple of weeks, get it checked out. Don’t wait. For me, the cancer was not detectable in my self-exams. It wasn’t until the mammogram, biopsy, and MRI. It’s really important. Cancer may be there without a lump.”


Learn how, along with Fleet Feet Sports, you can help support breast cancer research.