Journeys Intertwined: Aerial and Cancer
Written by Momentum Aerial trapeze student Kara Attrep
Photo spread of Kara during different periods of time during her cancer journey.
The spring of 2023 found me in trapeze 2a (taught by the amazing Jes) and lyra 1a (taught by the wonderful Sunn). I felt like I was crushing my classes and was so enjoying both apparatuses (my heart belongs to trapeze, but I really liked lyra too).
The two classes complemented one another. I was doing things in trapeze that I thought I could never do and in fact, before I was diagnosed with cancer, I had an amazing class in trapeze at our midterm review. I was rocking it, so much so that I posted about it on Instagram. I did a clean pullover, scissor rolls, single arm hangs, Russian rolls, and some handstands away from the wall. I was cruising and I was so excited by my progress. Additionally, the winter had been brutal. We had missed several classes because of all of the snow. I felt great and was stronger than I had ever been in my life!
However, we had had spring break a couple of weeks before that class and I had gone to California. On a whim (sometimes I remembered and sometimes I didn’t), I did a self-breast exam and I felt a lump in my right breast (I had had my annual mammogram the year before in January—I was a bit behind in my annual exam for 2023). We were in Santa Barbara, and I was supposed to be enjoying the ocean and the sun (there was some) after a long (unprecedented) Flagstaff winter. I panicked briefly but knew I wasn’t going to do anything about it until I returned home. I came back and scheduled an appointment with my PCP, she sent me for a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound, and a month later I was diagnosed with stage 3a HER2+ breast cancer.
A cancer diagnosis is shocking. Your world turns on its head. One of the hardest things I had to do after my diagnosis was to inform my instructor, Jes. I cried as I wrote her the email that I would not be returning to class for the semester. I had gotten into trapeze in my mid-40s. I worked hard to get where I was. The loss I felt in not being able to continue with aerial was acute. It was so hard to imagine my life without aerial and I had so many unknowns. Not being able to do aerial made the cancer diagnosis more real. Was aerial a necessity? No? but not doing it meant that I was very ill and that was terrifying. Would I ever get back in the studio? I felt like my aerial journey might be coming to an end and that was very sad.
I had six rounds of chemotherapy. After my chemo, I had surgery (a bilateral mastectomy with lymph node dissection), 25 rounds of radiation, and a year of targeted monoclonal antibody treatments.
Fast forward a year after my diagnosis with most of my treatment complete: Jes emailed me to say that a summer trapeze 1b course was being offered and did I want to join? YES! I was so elated! I was going back to Momentum and trapeze! My happy place!
I had wanted to start back sooner but it wasn’t possible. Being on a cancer journey (I prefer to refer to it as a journey rather than a battle—everyone is different and each has their own way of processing and none is wrong or bad just different) comes with a lot of unknowns and twists and turns. I had to accept that I would need to return later than I originally thought but was grateful to be able to return… so very grateful.
I will pause here to say: please consult your oncology team if you are wanting to do aerial arts after a cancer diagnosis. They can help you figure out the best way to approach your return to your apparatus. Also, don’t push yourself and listen to your body. I know I would not have been able to do trapeze while in the midst of chemo but I could do it when I was receiving my targeted therapy. I also consulted with my surgeon to see what to do about my portacath (or port) (this is a device that is placed under the skin of your chest so that patients can receive infusions without having to have an IV poke every time. The port runs through your vein and down toward your heart. It sounds scarier than it is, but it is very convenient especially when you have to have so many infusions.).
I still had my port in when the trapeze class opened up this summer (I’m getting it removed in less than a week!). I didn’t want to risk hitting it on the trapeze bar but in consultation with my surgeon’s nurse, we thought covering it while doing trapeze would be best in case I did knock it against the bar. I bought a port cover on Etsy (you can find so many amazing things on there). My PT suggested securing the cover with KT tape and it worked well. I never even noticed the port being there! My PT also suggested that I wear a compression sleeve when I exercise to minimize the risk of lymphedema. I (usually—there were two times I forgot) wore the sleeve at each class and the performance. I didn’t experience any issues and exercise is said to help with swelling due to lymphedema. I did avoid doing planks as these can aggravate lymphedema (be sure, again, to check with your oncology team). These aspects of returning to aerial arts after a cancer diagnosis were something I could not find advice for online (again consult your team). There were a handful of blog posts about people doing aerial while in treatment (the people I found though did not have a port so I wasn’t sure what to do and no one really talked about lymphedema). Finally, go slow and listen to your body. Starting back was challenging as I had been in one place strength-wise before my diagnosis and a very different place after. Carol, my wonderful current trapeze instructor, helped me to go slow and listen to my body. This is good advice for anyone returning to something they’ve been away from for a while. Also, your body is changed after breast cancer surgery and I had to get used to this. It all takes time. Be gentle on yourself and don’t be discouraged. Just as you had to initially learn and build when you first started in aerial, your body will get stronger. So, I hope this is helpful to anyone who is facing a cancer diagnosis but wants to continue with aerial. Listen to your body, consult your team, and if you feel ready, I say go for it!
Getting back in the studio to take classes and perform on trapeze was something that I kept as a goal. I knew if I could make it through the treatments and surgery and back into the Momentum studio that my cancer journey would not feel so unpredictable or scary. Having the support and guidance of my current instructor, Carol and former instructor Jes, and the whole family at Momentum means so much to me. Having a cancer diagnosis is life changing and each person’s journey is unique to them, but I hope my story provides you with possibilities. You are not your cancer and aerial will be there when you are ready and able to return.
Kara Attrep is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Honors College at NAU. She started taking trapeze at Momentum in 2022 in her mid-40s and while finding aerial super challenging also fell in love with it. She hopes to continue to do trapeze for as long as possible. She is happy to talk to anyone about cancer and/or aerial arts so please reach out.