August Member Success…Alex Sedach!!!

Alex has been a Brand X member for almost 2 years. When he walks in the door of Brand X, he lights up the place with the huge smile on his face. In May of this year, Alex, who turned 36 in June, was diagnosed with a malignant (cancerous) carcinoid tumor. I have had the pleasure of interviewing him about his journey and the impact that CrossFit has had on him with his diagnoses and recovery. Here is his amazing story.....

1. When did you start Crossfitting? How long were you WODing prior to your diagnosis?
I started Crossfitting on December 30, 2008. I remember wanting to start PRIOR to New Years so it wouldn't be a 'resolution' . I was doing the Big Dog WODs a few months after starting Crossfit.


2. What role did Crossfitting play in the diagnosis of your illness?
I was cruising along pretty good the first year at BX. Big Dog WODs. Catching a KravMaga Class prior to doing Saturday WODs. CrossPit with Jason after Crossfit on Mondays. Then I stopped 'PR'ing. My mile time got slower. I didn't have the wind to do more than a couple dozen pull-ups unbroken. My deadlift 1 rep MAX went way down. I remember one week doing 225X21 with Dan S and the next week I couldn't do it 10 times. Then I couldn't even do 50 pushups. Then I was passed by EVERYBODY when running a 400.
Measuring my performance and subsequent decrease in performance let me know something was wrong. Had I been the guy that gets home from work and sits down on the couch, it would have taken much longer to diagnose the problem. I had also been coughing up blood but the doctors told me that was a seasonal bloody nose. HA! It was the measured and documented decrease in performance at BX that forced additional tests. Prior to that I figured I was just in a slump or getting old. At 35, turns out I was wrong.


3. What role did Crossfitting play in managing your surgery and recovery process?
This all started back in March but my surgery wasn't until June 24th in Boston. I had a few months to just sit and get soft. Even then, I think the doctors were surprised to see someone in such 'good' shape in their office. The tumor I had was blocking 85% of my right lung so I was really working with one lung. The doctors think it was growing there for a long time (years) so it was a big surprise that I was able to exercise at all. Turns out that being in good shape isn't all good when it comes to a major surgery. It helps you to have fewer complications and recover much faster but the more muscle they cut through the more it hurts. Ouch.
Even with one lung being almost completely blocked, the blocked lung was still in near perfect condition. Without Crossfit, my blocked lung may not have responded so well to being detached, deflated, having the tumor cut out, being re-attached, then re-inflated. Crossfit forced my lung to stay healthy prior to surgery thereby making recovery easier.
Jeff Martin talks about the 'Fitness Continuum'. Basically, the Fitness Continuum is a Bell curve with Sick, Well, and Fit on the bottom. It says that it you are Fit, you need to go backwards and get Well BEFORE you get sick. I can now agree 100% with this theory because I have seen it in action.
I've come much further in a short amount of time than I could have ever thought. There are 4 things that saved me and gave me my life back.
1. My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
2. BXCrossfit PRIOR to getting sick and after as Rehab
3. The best thoracic surgeon on the planet, Dr. Lanuti at Mass General
4. The love and support of my Wife Connie. She's the Hero in all of this. Without her, I couldn't have done it.

A lot of people get sick and a lot of people get their chest cut into. Not many are back exercising less than two months afterwards. Here we are 10 weeks after surgery and Jeff (cautiously) has me back in better shape than 90% of the people in America.


4. As you have returned to Crossfit, what benefits do you see to your continued recovery?
It's just awesome being able to do anything physical, let alone my modified Crossfit rehab. A lot of my WODs are modified by Jeff since since I can't do a lot of the movements. Pull-ups and Sit-ups? Forget about it.
As the nerves grow back and my flexibility and strength come back I hope to be doing the Rx WODs soon. Working out with 2 lungs is so cool. I forgot what it felt like to be a young guy. My progress has been faster than I expected because Crossfit demands so much from me physically. Everyday I feel younger and closer to the right side of the Fitness Continuum.

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Great progress Alex! It's good to have you back...

Alex
You are an inspiration !
I have watched you enter class with a sparkle in your eye
And leave with a smile. Thanks for the reminder of the joy that each new day and it's challenges bring to us.
Mikki

Alex - We go a long way back and you have always been such a positive guy. Your story is as amazing as it is inspiring. It is so good to see you back and to see your smile!

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