This month, we have two related shout outs.
The first goes to Simone Annis in recognition of her journey back to training.
The second is from Simone herself who would like to thank everyone for their support during her treatment.
I think Simone said it best herself, so I defer to her own words.
I could think of a whole bunch of people I could nominate for this, but for a start: A big thankyou to all those who offered and gave their support to my family and I during the difficult time I had recently getting treatment for cancer in Sydney. A big shout out to the absolutely fantastic Jill Wisbey who organised a task roster and to all of the lovely FIT ladies who cooked and delivered dinners to my family while I was away.
A big shout out also to all those who sent me copious messages of support on Facebook, by phone and in person. I really, really appreciated it and the collective kindness of the FIT community made all the difference to the experience for me. Without a doubt I felt loved and supported. I am incredibly grateful for the practical help and the ongoing support and encouragement. Many FIT members have also experienced the shadow of cancer and the generosity and honesty in sharing their experiences, or that of their loved ones, was also appreciated.
I look forward to seeing everyone at FIT sessions on my journey back to fitness and good health. And, if you have personal doubt about getting up in the morning and turning up to FIT sessions, just keep coming. I am convinced that my body’s ability to cope with treatment, my general resilience and my fast recovery was due in part to my level of fitness before I went into treatment (another thing I can have extreme gratitude to FIT and our coaches for). So my advice is to keep coming, keep volunteering and feel gratitude for the fact that you can and are running, cycling, swimming or doing what you do because you never know what will happen in the future.