Kelton Wright, 30
Editorial director at Headspace, Topanga
After the tumor, two things seemed to cement in my mind: I couldn’t trust my body to work, and I couldn’t trust other people to help me. I just felt so frightened and alone. And it’s been years of work to get back to the girl who on that first doctor appointment said, “I know you have a medical degree, but I know I have a tumor!” I'd felt like something was wrong for a year, but medical professionals kept brushing me off. They dismissed me as stressed or anxious. Finally, I found someone to run tests and they discovered a big tumor in my neck. They operated immediately.
Now, when I feel something off, like my heart beating irregularly hard, or a pain in my arm that persists, I get lost in my head wondering if I tell someone, if they’ll believe me. But the bike helps. It’s helps to feel my heart and trust it. It’s helps to beat the crap out of myself on a climb and find myself recovered on the descent. It’s helps me relearn my body and to trust myself.