Katie Nuffer:  This recovery has been very, very difficult.  But through all of the hard times, I’ve come out stronger and I learned not to take advantage of the simple, most important things. You never really realize how much you use your arm, your back,  your muscles, or really anything until you cannot use it.  You never really even think about it, until you don’t have a choice. When you think about what you are grateful for usually a house or friends and family come to mind. Not your arm or your shoulder.  But now, I am truly grateful for being where I am now.

The other day I was had the chance to go camping, and boating with my boyfriend and his family. It was nice, really really nice, to be able to get to do something fun. Even though I was still in pain, I was able to get out and be in the sun and have things to distract me from my pain. We all had so much fun, and it’s a memory I’ll get to have because my pain isn’t holding me back as much.

When I got home from camping I decided that I needed to get back to a regular schedule, and before I broke my arm and had surgery, work was something I did pretty much everyday.  So I went on a job hunt.

Previously, I had worked at Sizzler, which I loved very much. I worked with my best friend.  I had very understanding mangers and I loved my coworkers. But I didn’t want to go back to Sizzler because I didn’t feel like explaining to everyone what had happened and why it took so long. I just felt like I needed a new start and I needed to meet new people. I applied at Tilly’s, Kohl’s, Ross, charming Charlie, Target, Rue 21 and a few more places. The only one I heard back from was Rue 21.

They asked me to come in for an interview. So I went in, and they asked me why I stopped working at Sizzler, which meant I had to tell them about my tumors. Right then, I thought that I wouldn’t get hired, cause you know who would want some chick with tumors to work for them? But I was very honest with them. I told them that I can’t lift very much, I have had a lot of surgeries, and I have some very bad days. I told them that I wanted a fresh start, and I told them that I’ve been through a lot. They didn’t really say anything about it and just moved on to the next question. The whole interview lasted only 15 minutes.

Walking out, I was bummed, I just kept thinking that this is just one more thing that my tumors get in the way of.  Walking away, I wasn’t all that confident that I wanted a job. I wanted to get back to my old self.  So the next day, I was kinda sad. My arms were pounding, I had a headache. I just was having a bad day.  I was stuffing my face with food, in hopes of making me feel better. I turned on one of my favorite shows, grabbed my favorite blanket, and grabbed Tucker (my stuffed elephant). I was just going to relax, and get passed the fact that I probably wouldn’t get hired. A few minutes after I sat down, I got a call from an unknown number.  So I answered it,  it ended up being rue 21. They offered me a job,  and I gladly accepted.  Finally, I’ll get to go back to being myself!
My entire life, I have always been known as the girl with tumors, I never quite fit in, I was always getting left behind. It wasn’t until my sister started talking to Gina and Justin and got me involved in RUN that I knew I wasn’t alone. Gina and Justin have been nothing but supportive. They’ve become my family, and I couldn’t thank them enough for always being there,  and wanting to help so many people.  RUN as made me realize that it’s okay to be different, it’s okay to not be normal. It’s helped me realize that no matter how others treat me, I’ll always have my RUN family. RUN has made me be more confident and more open about my tumors, and my disease. I’m really glad to be apart of it.
-Katie 🙂