A few weeks ago I received a message from Kelly O'Mara a writer with ESPN-W about doing an interview. I agreed and we chatted on the phone for about 30 minutes on a Friday morning. A few days later she contacted me asking if Shannon would be available to talk with her. They spoke for another 30 minutes.
I have been interviewed a few times and it has always been question and answer. This was different. Kelly was given the task to write my story, and I was interested to see how she interpreted the conversations. Well, Kelly absolutely nailed it. Not only was she able to accurately tell my story, but somehow she also captured an essence of who I am and how I feel about this whole breast cancer thing. She didn't stick to the stereotypical breast cancer taglines like how I "beat" cancer or "won" the fight, which by the way, aren't terms that reflect how I feel. Even the title "How Mountain Biker Jen Hanks rode out cancer, twice" is perfect. And even though it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month aka October, the story wasn't pink washed.
So without further ado, here it is!
http://espn.go.com/espnw/athletes-life/article/13840201/how-mountain-biker-jen-hanks-rode-cancer-twice
I also provided a "typical" anti-cancer/healthy athlete meal. Most of my dinners are some sort of variation of this. http://espn.go.com/espnw/athletes-life/article/13838734/jen-hanks-anti-cancer-meal
Enjoy!
Athlete's account of redefining "normal" after undergoing breast cancer treatment
