“Throughout my radiation, fatigue, depression and weight gain never entered my life. My endurance and attitude remained strong and carried me through the voyage,” says Sampson, who didn’t let Cancer stop her from what she loved to do. Being an athlete her whole life, as well as taking part in personal training four times a week, she continued to go for a run everyday, even on days of treatment. Jodi has lived in Middletown Massachusetts most of her life, and according to her best friend and neighbor, Sue Resnick, she had always been a “health freak.“ Jodi is one of those women in town that every mother wants to look like. She is beautiful because she is so picky about eating healthy and staying fit. She has been glowing since the day I met her—I never thought her immune system would allow her to get so sick, because she is one of the healthiest women I know,” explained Resnick.
Being motivated to be healthy and productive before cancer had a positive impact on Jodi during the cancer as well. As a new balance athletic wear designer, she was always on the go, often times testing out her new clothing. “I had my own system. Everyday that I would go to work, workout at the gym, cook the family dinner, pray, and go to treatment, I would put a star on that day of the calendar,” says Sampson. Her family was amazed by her strength. “Everyday when I came home from school I would look at the calendar. There would be five stars on every day of the week,” says Sampson’s 19 years old daughter Jordan. “I was amazed that my mother hadn’t let the sickness affect her in the least.”
However, this would not be Sampson’s first time dealing with Cancer. When her son Michael was born in 1996, she was told he had a large brain tumor, and the doctors said he had 6 months to live, with a 5% chance of making it past that point. Although Michael faces frequent surgeries, he is now a happy, healthy 13 year old. “When I got cancer, I knew God gave it to me because I had dealt with it once, and had the strength to handle it again,” says Sampson, who now actively participates in fundraising for her son and children’s cancer.
In the small amount of free time Sampson did have during her cancer treatments, she created a website to help people who shared her disease. “I already ate healthy, worked out everyday, and turned to God to help me face life’s hardships,” says Sampson. “But what does someone do who doesn’t have that healthy lifestyle when they find out they have to battle cancer? That’s why I started my website.”
On top of her website and cancer fundraising, she is an avid runner who participates in half marathons on behalf of mass general hospital, woman's breast cancer organizations, and children’s cancer organizations. "No matter how bad circumstances may be, I believe that you just have to reach out your hand and help others."
Jodi Sampson has now been in remission for 3 years, but is not considered cancer free for 2 more years, so she is still at risk of reoccurrence. However, Jodi believes that if she continues on the route she is on, she can beat breast cancer once and for all.
For many cancer patients, the experience is one full of fear and negativity. But Jodi looks back on her time as a blessing. “I felt like I was being prepared for something great,” says Jodi. “My life has taken on a whole new meaning, and I wouldn’t change one day of it.”
