Fit Mom Diagnosed With Cervical Cancer Shares Candid Photos To ‘Normalize’ Her Treatment

The owner and instructor of a Pilates studio who was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cervical cancer believes her own exercise regimen saved her life.

Amy Jordan, 45, was in her best physical shape when she went for a routine checkup at a gynecology clinic.

Doctors discovered that she had a two-inch growth on her cervix.

The tumor was too large for surgery, so Jordan underwent months of chemotherapy.

Now he has shared some eye-catching photos to normalize his cancer treatment.

The mother of two, owner of Pilates studios in Los Angeles and New York City, shared her journey on Instagram.

“I had just completed my 90th hour of chemotherapy, two months after the operation and about to finish 25 daily radiation sessions,” Jordan said of the photos.

“I am sharing these very personal photos with you to normalize illness and the beginning of a human being’s journey back to health. I didn’t want to forget how hard I fought or how sick I was.”

She called the photos a “glimpse of pain.”

Jordan contacted a photographer friend of his, Gregory Zabilski, to take photos of him throughout the process.

“I really wanted to share what cancer does to the body,” he said.

“I want to normalize having a health crisis. I wanted to normalize not having hair … That part of the journey is hidden. We know that people get sick, but they wear a wig or cover their scars or they just don’t show this part of the way.”

Jordan was very unlucky: Doctors were shocked that he had developed an extremely rare form of cancer. According to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, her cancer accounted for just 100 of the 11,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed each year.

“It’s very, very weird,” Jordan told TODAY. “My oncologist looked me in the eye and said, ‘There’s no reason you should have had this.’

They needed to attack the cancer hard and fast, and she says the doctors pushed her “to the brink of death.”

“My oncologist said, ‘This is really weird and aggressive and we have to throw everything we can into it,'” said the mother. “‘Our goal is a cure.'”

Jordan attributes his astonishing level of physical fitness to his survival and is not sure if she would have made it through the rigorous treatments without him.

First, he underwent hours of chemotherapy. She then underwent a hysterectomy, which means that a surgeon removes the uterus, cervix, and parts of the vagina in hopes of removing any trace of the cancer. This was followed by radiation and then several more weeks of chemotherapy.

“The last three weeks were indescribable,” Jordan said. “I was so sick.”

He lost seven kilos and his hair. But he did not lose his life thanks to Pilates.

“I came in as strong and healthy as I could get,” Jordan said. “It gave (my doctors) the ability to really aggressively attack cancer.”

Things got complicated as he had to complete treatment at the height of the coronavirus pandemic and was in hospital isolation most of the time with no visits allowed.

However, the treatment ended on November 11 and he is now cancer free, according to doctors.

Jordan also hopes to share his recovery process.

His physical condition is not what it was, but he hopes to get it back, even if it is only with a 10 minute walk every day.

You have noticed your body weaken and slow down. Just the other day, she stumbled trying a Pilates pose she could have “done six months ago with her eyes closed.”

However, he awaits the challenge of making a full recovery.