Barbara Cortes’ Journey
I was diagnosed with cancer April 1, 2022. This was 4 four months after I buried my mom. This was scary news on top of grief and I was not prepared. My wife Monica was on it. She acted on my behalf and with her philosophy of “our secrets are our sickness” she zoomed our friends and family to tell them the news. I took that same philosophy and shared the news with my work family and team members just to let them know why they may not see me for a few months. I received a phone call from Craig, our Rehab VP, to ask me what he could do to take the load off and share his words of hope and encouragement. The outpouring of love and support at home and work at Aurora carried me throughout the next year of testing and treatment.
Lucky for me, our Rehabilitation Services Cancer Coordinator who ensures we have a quality Cancer Rehab program at Aurora is right down the hall from me. Dr. Leslie guided, informed, encouraged, and led me toward the best thing that happened to me after my cancer diagnosis, “Team Phoenix”. The doctors certainly cured me, but Team Phoenix brought me back to life! One year after my diagnosis I am training for a full-on Mini Triathlon with 50 other female cancer survivors and over 75 Team Phoenix alumni who volunteer year after year. Shout out to Jill G, Occupational Therapist who also works with me at Aurora Rehab Easy Street. Jill is a cool, calm and steadfast alumni volunteer who just smiled and nodded her head yes when I was contemplating joining. Team Phoenix is a 14-week training program that prepares female cancer survivors to complete a ¼ mile swim, 12-mile bike ride, and 5K walk/run. This year, on the exact day of the Chinooks game to celebrate the baseball bat art auction, I will have completed my fourth triathlon with Team Phoenix.
The aspects of my cancer Journey are represented in the baseball bat art for which I am so grateful to have been invited to participate and thankful to Monica Cortes, a wonderful artist as well, as she sketched my emotions on paper. The Andean Condor is significant in South American mythology and Monica, who was my primary support during my journey and the love of my life, is from Ecuador and she wears the condor as a tattoo.
For indigenous people, it symbolizes power and health, represents renewal, protection and the ability to carry prayers to the heavens while also embodying the cycle of life death and rebirth.
I certainly felt the potential of cancer taking me from this earth. The flowers represent life, the mountains reaching high to the heavens represent all the prayers sent on my behalf and the sunset represents the need to just rest. Thank you to Team Phoenix for rebirth!
