Sylvia's Journal

At the end of last summer I signed up for a Tai Chi retreat in February 2026 at a retreat center in the mountains of Puerto Rico. My Tai Chi teacher has been part of a group of Tai Chi and Qi Gong teachers who get together frequently on Zoom and periodically in person. She asked her students if anyone was interested in joining her. I was instantly attracted to the idea because I love my Tai Chi practice which I have been doing for more than 5 years, and the idea of an immersive practice for a whole week was enticing. Also, traveling to a warm place at the end of February was more than enticing, and I had never been to Puerto Rico. So I signed up and paid a considerable amount of money to guarantee my spot.
At that time I did not know that cancerous cells had been invading my body, very slowly, and it looked that, without intervention, they’d be there to stay and possibly expand.
When I was diagnosed in January with lobular carcinoma, stage 1, in my left breast, the surgeon recommended lumpectomy, another invasion of sorts to remove the cancerous cells. I asked the surgeon whether the surgery could wait until after my return from Puerto Rico. “Yes, it could,” she said, “it will be good for you.” It has been a great distraction, but now the surgery is coming into view.
Today is the before last day of the 6 day retreat. We are refining movements of forms I already know (or thought I knew), learning new forms and doing all sorts of exercises to relax, to strengthen, to elongate our muscles, focus and stimulate our brains, for 7 hours a day. And all this in the company of 14 other wonderful people. They have known each other for a long time but welcomed me with open arms. The gift of so many new friendships at this stage of my life is precious.
Yesterday we did a new meditative exercise that left me totally relaxed. And then a new Qi Gong exercise called silk reeling, as if we were spinning silk all around us in a series of smooth moves. It left me even more relaxed and also safe in the cocoon I spun around me. In this cocoon I feel able to face the surgery next week in a way I would not have expected. My readiness will be further enhanced by the Reiki treatment, before and after the surgery, that my friend Isabella has offered to give me. I feel as prepared as I can be to get through this.