“It sucks,” Katie Thurston says, when reflecting on all the challenges she has had to navigate as part of what she calls “the new normal,” ever since being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in February. “There’s really no way to put it eloquently. I have breast cancer—and it’s really disrupting the plans that I had.”
Still, Thurston is determined to rebuild her life in ways that allow her to still have the future she always dreamed of. That means prioritizing rest (she wears an Oura ring at night to track her sleep), using gadgets like a foot massager to alleviate joint pain, and trying to walk 10,000 steps a day. She also skips the coffee—because it’s a trigger for the hot flashes she now experiences, a side effect of her treatment, which sent her into early menopause. “I feel like an old lady, if I’m being honest,” she admits.
Thurston also recently added vaginal estrogen to her routine. “It’s such a mind trip, as a 34 year old, to say, ‘Oh, I need this extra assistance now in my intimacy,’” she admits. “It’s still something I’m processing.”
Another adjustment she’s had to make? Figuring out how to cook in her apartment’s small, New York City kitchen. “It drives me nuts,” she says. “We probably eat out more than we should, but when we do eat in, it’s very fun to focus on the health benefits now, [like with] different spices.”
Just don’t ask her to give up sugar. “I do still indulge in ice cream and cookies,” she shares. “I think a lot of times, people with cancer become scared of food, sugars especially, and, to each their own. But for me, I am going to eat the cookie. I will not be giving up the cookie!”
To hear more about how breast cancer has affected Thurston’s routine, including the part of her day that makes her cry, watch the video above.
