Grand Canyon helps cancer survivor heal

Sandi Woods, usually found relaxing with her nose in a book, never thought of herself as an active person. But when she was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time, she knew that had to change. “I had to get up and get moving in a serious way.”

The stay-at-home mother of three who home-schools her daughters decided to join her husband, Scott, the CEO of South Carolina Federal Credit Union, and some of his coworkers, to train for a 23-mile hike in the Grand Canyon. This decision would have never been put into motion without the encouragement from Woods’ doctors. 

Lindsay Peterson, M.D., Woods’ oncologist at the Medical University of South Carolina, communicated the importance of exercise during cancer treatment. The results, Woods discovered, had a huge impact on her health.

“Exercise actually is better for you, and not just because of the heart benefits. That oxygenation of your blood, it makes a huge difference,” she said. “The doctors will tell you that is has been proven scientifically to make a difference with respect to cancer recurring. Get out there, walk, or do some sort of aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes three times a week.”

This difference became apparent to Woods when she compared her heart rates before and after treatment. Herceptin, an antibody used to treat some types of breast and stomach cancer, can have detrimental effects on a patient’s heart, so a baseline is taken before treatment begins.

In January 2015, Woods began walking to get her strength back. In May, she had her next echocardiogram, and the results were incredible. Her heart was stronger than the baseline, thanks to her exercise program, and she received the go-ahead from her doctor to take on the Grand Canyon.

“That was such a big bump to me. That was the biggest encouragement for me when I came home and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, look at that, concrete evidence that this is paying off,’ and that was great.” 

A Big Step

Elated, Woods signed up to do the hike with Revelation Wellness, a Christian organization. The nonprofit group gives hikers a training program to follow that recommends how many days a week and how long they should be training. “You have a very specific hike you have to do every weekend. It takes a lot of dedication and time to prepare properly for it.”

Woods and her husband, motivated and fully committed, drove to North Carolina a few times and hiked Mount Mitchell to get a real feel for what was coming in October. When the two couldn’t make the drive to North Carolina, they put their new treadmill on the highest elevation and got to work.

Staying in Charleston and walking the Ravenel Bridge is not enough, Woods said. “You can do that, but that’s maybe a 200 foot gain. That’s all you got, about 5 miles going across and back. The canyon, you’re talking 6,000 feet and 25 miles. The bridge isn’t even close.”

The rigorous training was tough on Woods, so much so that she considered quitting a few times. Her husband wouldn’t let her, and she was glad he didn’t.

The Hike

On October 5, just two and half weeks after her final cancer treatment, Woods arrived at the Grand Canyon. She put on her gear and set off for the adventure of her life.  Little did she know there were some setbacks approaching.

“So we’re on this metal bridge with metal hiking poles in our hands and rain is just coming down on us,” Woods remembered.

As the group started to cross the Colorado River, they found themselves floundering through a torrential downpour. The rain, thunder and lightning slowed them down, and the hike that was meant to take 12 to 13 hours ended up lasting 16 hours.

Woods reminisced about what it felt like to finally climb up the other side of the Colorado River and turn around and see that sun set on the north rim: “It was beautiful, it was so beautiful.”

The sunset meant that the long day was over, and it was left in the past. Woods decided to let the sun set on her battle with cancer and leave that behind, too. She said, “You have to decide what you’re going to leave in the Canyon. I left all of that, all of the negative things associated with it.”

When Woods made it across the river, the three longest, toughest miles remained. To get through it, she remembered a comforting prayer that the founder of Revelation Wellness said earlier in the day. “God, you lift our feet and we’ll put them back down.”

These words stuck with Woods throughout the trek when she felt like she needed a little push. “I prayed over every step. It really took a lot of prayer because when I came out, emotionally and physically, I was exhausted. So, what do you have left, right?”

What she had left, she said, was faith. “It was really awesome to have the hike so soaked in faith.”

Revelation Wellness ensured that the hikers stopped along the way for devotionals and encouragement. When Woods felt exhausted and thought she had nothing left to give, she prayed. “All right, God lift it again, and I’ll put it back down.” When her body was tiring, those words gave her the strength to keep going.

After finishing the hike, Woods felt a new sense of peace. “To know that you did that, it tells you, ‘Oh, well I can do anything.’ It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, you just gotta do it on your own two feet.”

Lessons Learned

To those who hear her story, Woods wants to emphasize the importance of perseverance, to keep moving even when it’s tough, and that exercising during cancer and cancer treatment will have a positive effect.

“Life doesn’t end with cancer, or with cancer treatment. No matter how you feel at the end of it, get up and move. You’ll feel better. It is counterintuitive. Your body doesn’t want to do it, but right there it makes all the difference in the world.” 

Woods’ most recent scan showed no sign of cancer. She’s considering hiking the Grand Canyon again, not to help her recover from treatment this time but because she loved it.

“Normal is a really good word after cancer treatments, and it’s not something that a lot of people reach,” Woods said.  “A lot of people decide on a new normal. That’s not what I’m saying when I say normal. I’m saying I feel normal, like before, and maybe even a little better because I did this.”