Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download
ePaper created 2015-02-25, 10:02:46 | version 1.33.01
44. FitnessX.com • Summer/Fall 2013 M any of us are told we have our whole lives ahead of us, but what may come as a surprise is we don’t. At any moment, someone or something can divert us away from our dearest dreams and aspirations. We soon find life is full of intersections and it's how we handle them that get us through. In one split second, a determined, young wom- an would stumble onto such an intersection. She would have to make sacrifices, endure pains, watch her body deteriorate, and find strengths she never knew she had. Crystal Bragazzi, now a 30-year old wom- an, grew up in Littleton, Colorado. “Grow- ing up, I always wanted to become a police officer.” At 23 years old, she started working as a case manager and continuing to train for the police academy. Crystal stated,“I was in excellent shape. Probably the best shape ever.” In May 2004, she was accepted into the Lakewood Police Academy commencing later in August. Crystal was getting excited when Lakewood Police Department (L.P.D.) called June 1st to inform her for a second time, they could not afford to have a police academy. “I was devastated . . . and fed up.” Her next journey would be with Las Vegas Metro; but, to her dismay, she awoke June 7, 2004 to a tender and swollen left side of her neck. She assumed it was a strained muscle. A couple days went by when her mother demanded Crystal see a doctor. On June 11th, she visited her doctor explaining how she wanted to continue her training but not cause anymore damage to the assumed strained muscle. The doctor briefly felt her neck and informed Crystal,“That’s not a muscle. It’s a lymphoid . . . you have cancer!” At that moment, Crystal was not too sure what to think but her face looked as if she had seen a ghost. She scheduled the next step, a needle biopsy. Four days later, the doctors’drained fluid from her lymphoid as well as scheduled a surgical biopsy. The fluid tested positive for cancer and three days after her needle biopsy, Crystal would have the biopsy to type the cancer. When it comes to lymphoma, there are two types, Hodgkin’s and Non-Hodgkin’s. Hodgkin’s is known if caught early, to be easier to treat and chances of it coming back On June of 2011, she started as a Pro- bation Officer as well as began to reignite her passion for staying in shape. This job gave her more time to spend in “The Gym” where two of her friends were training to compete in local bikini competitions. "I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, so I made a commitment to get back in shape, lose the weight, and compete.” Crystal took stage in November with the constant support of her family and team members,“The Miss Fits”. She lost over 20 lbs. and looks forward to competing again this year. We don’t have forever to live; but when life’s intersections hand us challenges, it is our choice on how we handle them. It is our choice to accept them. It is our choice to push through the pains and see what parts of ourselves we are willing to sacrifice to get through. Some intersections are easier than others. We can only hope for the best and continue to fight for our dreams and hopes as Crystal continues to do. are less than that of Non-Hodgkin’s. Crystal soon found ways to keep her mind off what she was about to face. Crystal still planned on testing with Las Vegas Metro. She stepped up her training; pushing her self farther and harder each day. After all, a girl with cancer could not run like she could. Crystal flew to Las Vegas putting her treatment on hold. Re- turning home was the last thing she wanted to do. July 8th was her first appointment with the oncologist where she was told she did have Hodgkin’s. It spread from her neck into her chest and treatment would be aggressive with chemotherapy and radiation. Crystal was determined not to let cancer get the best of her training. That same day, Crystal took her first steps into the chemo room. Crystal would spend 4 hours in a room every other week until December 10th, 2004. “The worst part about chemo was how I felt after. It literally felt like someone had kicked my butt. . . . my whole body hurt. Food tasted horrible. I had trouble breathing.” It was after the first treatment Crystal realized training was out of the question. She would have to find other ways to stay active. She bought a dog to take on walks and named her“Kima” inspired after reading Lance Armstrong’s It’s Not about the Bike. Crystal ended up in the hospital twice, gained over 25 pounds, had to give herself daily injections, and started to lose her hair. Crystal spent the mornings cleaning up her hair and eventually decided to shave it. Crystal and her father shaved each other’s heads. “This was a moment I will never forget.” Crystal endured 30 days of radiation treatment as well as brea "I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, so I made a com- mitment to get back in shape, lose the weight, and compete.”st surgery. The radiation burned her throat and skin. Eating became intolerable. She lost 25 pounds in two weeks and forced herself to drink protein shakes and water. Her last day of treatments and first day of remis- sion was February 17th, 2005. A month later, she was hired onto L.P.D. where she worked for 6 years as a beat cop, undercov- er, and a detective in the major crimes unit. Four years into her dream job, she went in for breast surgery. “I was at the lowest point in my life... I let myself go.” Crystal soon realized just how hard it was to get her body back to where it once was, but she was up for the challenge. by Alyssian Vissat Model: Crystal Bragazzi Photo by Capturesque Photography "I had nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to GAIN, so I made a COMMITMENT to get back in shape, lose weight, & compete.” I am a COMPETITOR. . . a SURVIVOR! I am a COMPETITOR. . . a SURVIVOR! DOSE OF INSPIRATION