Chaunte Lowe, A Hero Among Us
Chaunté Lowe's story is one made of determination, perseverance and strength. She is a four-time Olympian, 2008 Olympic high jump bronze medalist, American record holder, three-time World Champion, eight-time national outdoor champion, 12-time US National Champion, mother of three, wife and a finance professional. She has certainly challenged herself as an athlete with great success, but her life's challenges have been far greater.
In June 2019, while training for her fifth Olympics, her life took a different turn when she was diagnosed with Stage 1 triple-negative breast cancer. When Lowe initially found a lump in her breast area in August 2018, she was told by her doctor that it was just a lymph node. But the lump didn’t go away. Almost a year later, she sought a second opinion, and this time after a biopsy, she was told it was breast cancer. After her diagnosis, she underwent aggressive treatment which included a double mastectomy and six rounds of chemo (once every three weeks). It was during this time she began to question her dream of making her fifth Olympic team. But it was her oncologist that cast a light at the end of the tunnel. The doctor told her not to alter her future life plans and that it was okay to train while undergoing chemo, so while undergoing chemotherapy, medical visits and surgeries, Chaunté continued training to join her fifth straight Olympic team and represent the United States at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 now postponed until 2021).
Making the 2020 Olympic Team opened a new platform she planned to utilize to bring attention to breast cancer awareness, early detection and ways to fund research. Her training has a new purpose, one that goes beyond solely Chaunté Lowe. “Every other time, I’ve ran for myself, my kids, my family, for my country. But this time, it’s not about me. It’s more about any woman, any person, that could contract this disease. If they hear my story, maybe they'll get checked. I know that it will save lives.”
In June 2019, while training for her fifth Olympics, her life took a different turn when she was diagnosed with Stage 1 triple-negative breast cancer. When Lowe initially found a lump in her breast area in August 2018, she was told by her doctor that it was just a lymph node. But the lump didn’t go away. Almost a year later, she sought a second opinion, and this time after a biopsy, she was told it was breast cancer. After her diagnosis, she underwent aggressive treatment which included a double mastectomy and six rounds of chemo (once every three weeks). It was during this time she began to question her dream of making her fifth Olympic team. But it was her oncologist that cast a light at the end of the tunnel. The doctor told her not to alter her future life plans and that it was okay to train while undergoing chemo, so while undergoing chemotherapy, medical visits and surgeries, Chaunté continued training to join her fifth straight Olympic team and represent the United States at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 now postponed until 2021).
Making the 2020 Olympic Team opened a new platform she planned to utilize to bring attention to breast cancer awareness, early detection and ways to fund research. Her training has a new purpose, one that goes beyond solely Chaunté Lowe. “Every other time, I’ve ran for myself, my kids, my family, for my country. But this time, it’s not about me. It’s more about any woman, any person, that could contract this disease. If they hear my story, maybe they'll get checked. I know that it will save lives.”