How battling breast cancer turned Terran Lamp into a bodybuilder

If anyone knows easy methods to beat the percentages, it’s Terran Lamp. He’s been doing it since birth. Lamp was born with one kidney and was diagnosed with heart disease at three weeks old. After quite a few heart surgeries, Lampa received an implanted pacemaker on the age of 4. At across the age of 10, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

She has struggled and overcome a lot from a young age, including the concept she needed to be overly cautious resulting from her health history. No Lamp. She is decided to live as “normal” a life as possible. She ran track in highschool and proved to others that she was a force to be reckoned with. Despite her physical challenges, she has all the time seen the advantages of pushing her body to be its strongest.

And then life handed her one other curveball regarding her health. At the age of 41, Lamp was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“When I received this news, I used to be completely surprised. I believed to myself, “I’ve had it all before.” I am unable to have one thing anymore,” he recalls. “I was devastated. I thought I did my part, you know? You hear and read about the c-word, but I thought I was done with it. I was in complete disbelief. I kept getting lost because I was thinking, “Is this the thing that is going to take me away?”

With the support of her family, friends and medical team, Lamp fought back and won once more. She sees the opposite side of breast cancer and in an try and regain her life and body, she became a competitive bodybuilder. ESSENCE spoke with the survivor to find out about her journey, her passion for bodybuilding, and why, after receiving a life-changing diagnosis, it is important to her to encourage others to live their best lives.

ESSENCE: What helped you alter your mindset and overcome your breast cancer diagnosis?

Terran Lamp: I had a great support system. I used to be very joyful to have a husband. I’ve all the time been physically energetic, so there have been times when he would say, “Yo, even if you just go to the mailbox, we need to keep you moving.” People say it’s a physical game when fighting cancer, but it surely’s just as much, if no more, a mental game. So I leaned on my faith and reminded myself that I had all the time been different. So I modified my perspective to “What will this journey look like for me?” Someone also told me, “Hey T, you’re just joining a new tribe.” And so I did.

I discovered other individuals who had undergone this and were at different stages of the sport than me. The individuals who were there did it and got the T-shirt. At some point it’s good to focus when life throws a challenge at you. You either quit or get going. You need to do all of the things it takes you thru and be gentle with yourself, but you’ve to buckle up.

Knowing you had a pacemaker, a brain tumor, and one kidney, what was the treatment process like?

Because I had heart disease, I could not undergo chemotherapy. My pacemaker happened to be on the identical side as my cancer. So I could not have radiation. The only solution was to remove the breast. That’s mainly it. The doctors told me I had a alternative between having one or two removed because with all my pre-existing conditions I could not have the rest. So I selected a double mastectomy and underwent this process in 2016 and 2017.

What does it take to feel comfortable in your body again after a double mastectomy? As I discussed, he’s been through a lot.

I’m a huge supporter of therapy, especially due to anxiety that comes with medical trauma. Moreover, I took up bodybuilding because I desired to challenge myself. I desired to concentrate on something positive. I’m 40, then over 45. I desired to rise up there and do what I could, scars and all. I would like to concentrate on loving my body because it is and difficult it physically. I desired to make the little Terran happy with me and remind myself that you simply’re here for a reason. So we must love this body we’re in, because we only have one.

Have you usually desired to change into a bodybuilder, or were you inspired by the will to regain control of your body?

After all of the cancer stuff, I believed: I even have to offer it my all or go home. At the start I said I desired to do one show before I turned 50. I would like to face on stage a minimum of once and be done with it. But now I’m in season three. I’m on the point of compete again. Due to cancer, I even have to follow an all-natural weight loss plan. I am unable to take any hormones or anything like that. But I exercise every single day and pack a lunch because weight loss plan plays a huge role in competition. I’m also a personal trainer for individuals who think it’s inconceivable. When people tell me, “I want a coach, but I have a disease,” I say, “Well, I have a pacemaker, a brain tumor, one kidney, and cancer.” So we’ll make it occur. You do not have to win the Tour de France or marathons. Just participate. I coach clients to get essentially the most out of their bodies, which has helped me not concentrate on what my body cannot do.

You are also a host. Tell us more about this.

Before moving to Chicago, I lived in Los Angeles and worked in Beverly Hills. I got here up with this marketing strategy to inform my story more broadly. But then that marketing strategy was still lying in my office. Fast forward to once I moved, I used to be telling my husband about it. And he said, “Well, T, speaking is your gift.” Why don’t you only start an Instagram Live or a podcast? So I pressed the beginning button and that is the way it began. It began with family and friends wanting to share their journeys. Now I’m on the point of start season 10. I interviewed over 100 people from all around the world. It’s available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, and I actually host the show live to tell the tale Instagram. Everyone has a story and every story can connect with one another.

We are all on this earth for a purpose. That’s why the Terran Lamp Show is here to encourage others to share their journeys by listening to my guests share theirs. This is what I really like to do. I really like sharing my story in hopes of inspiring other people to live their truth.

What advice do you’ve for other women who’re coping with health issues that would ultimately be life-changing, especially during Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

I all the time say: look to your higher power. We all have unique journeys and we want to ask ourselves, “But what if this situation is bigger than you?” No matter your situation, asking these questions can allow you to get through whatever you are coping with. We should all the time go to therapy, stay physically energetic, eat well, and do what’s best for us. But it’s really about motivation and taking motion. If we will overcome our obstacles, we might help others overcome theirs. That’s what it’s all about, right? To serve others. At some point you will see yourself in a situation where the tables will turn and you’ll pay it forward. When you are going through this, lean on individuals who need to allow you to. It can be your turn soon.