Here at runladylike.com, Fridays are about sharing the inspiring stories of fit people who motivate all of us to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday. My Friday FITspiration series profiles runners, triathletes and casual exercisers who are making choices every day to be as healthy as they can be – in both huge ways and through simple, small victories. 

Picture this: You are an athlete. You’re active. You’ve never smoked a day in your life. You have a wife and two beautiful kids. You are out surfing when an accident requires you to take a trip to the emergency room. The doctors discover you have a brain tumor … caused by Stage IV lung cancer that has spread to your brain and other organs. You are in shock. Your world is rocked. It doesn’t make sense.

Now, picture this: You have brain surgery, chemotherapy and still manage to get out on your bike for a 90-minute ride. Two years later, you finish the TransRockies Ultramarathon, running 56 miles and ascending 9,000 feet.

You are a survivor. You are Yariv Kafri.

“Exercise made me feel alive in a situation where each day was a question.” – Yariv Kafri

Yariv Kafri did not allow his cancer diagnosis to stop him from defying limits and conquering dreams. Living with cancer as an athlete inspired him to create Supportersize, a nonprofit organization designed to empower and motivate people with cancer to be physically active. I had a chance to catch up with Yariv and ask him about his inspiring journey and his recent TransRockies experience. Watch this video, read his responses and get ready to be FITspired!

When did you start running and what inspired you to start?
I started running when I was about 13 years old. I wanted to join the local volleyball team, and running was a way to get in shape. I’ve been running ever since. I ran and still do several times a week – for fun, to stay in shape and to sometimes train for a particular event.

Despite being a life-long athlete, you were diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in 2013. How has that experience changed your life as a person and as an athlete?
I don’t think you have enough blog space to describe how my family’s and my life has changed since I was diagnosed. Initially, it was a disbelief. How can my body – that I learned to trust so much – just “betray” me like that? How will my family (wife and two boys ages 11 and 13) continue without me? The physical implications and learning to live with the disease, the emotional impact on my family and me – it is an ongoing emotional rollercoaster for all of us full of fear, worries and hope. But we try to stay in the moment. To focus on the good things that are happening right now and stay away from scary and negative thoughts about the future which are always creeping in. Personally, I practice mindfulness meditation on a daily basis.

How has exercise and fitness helped you through your cancer journey?
I entered this ordeal in top physical shape, playing 90 minutes of intensive soccer the night before I was diagnosed. For me, the ongoing thought while going through treatments and surgery was: How do I get back on my feet and exercise outdoors? Ten days after my brain surgery to remove a brain tumor, I was back on my bike cycling with my buddies. It made me feel great – alive, independent, I’m around. This quick bounce-back was attributed to my high fitness level according to my doctor. Then, chemotherapy started, and that’s a whole different story. My recovery from each treatment was very good, and that was definitely due to my fitness level. After four rounds of very aggressive chemo, my cancer was under control, but 80 percent of my strength and stamina was gone. I went on a walk with my wife and after half a mile we had to return. I was exhausted.

Inspired by your personal experience with cancer, you started a nonprofit organization called Supportersize that offers free exercise classes to people living with cancer. How is it going? 
I did and still do what is natural for me – I exercise and stay in the moment, focusing on the good. I noticed that my attitude was having a great positive impact not only on my family and me, but also on other cancer survivors who I met. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the benefits of exercising together. So our mission with Supportersize is to create opportunities, motivate and inspire cancer patients to incorporate physical activities in their healing process.

To raise awareness for Supportersize and funds for lung cancer research, you just completed the 56-mile TransRockies Run from Buena Vista to Camp Hale, Colorado. Wow! Tell us about that experience. 
Getting healthy people to exercise on a regular basis is a challenge, so you can imagine the challenge with people who live with cancer. So, I decided that every year I will embark on a unique and awesome event that will inspire and motivate other patients to try to do something for themselves. I am a life-long athlete who exercises on a regular basis, but to participate in any of these events I pick requires discipline, patience, commitment, hard work and going through the highs and lows, That’s what I want everyone who reads about my endeavor to be inspired and motivated to do.

The run was amazing, but the road leading to this event was even more remarkable for me. My journey began about 12 months before the race after I completed my chemotherapy treatment and was unable to walk more than half a mile. I started exercising at home in front of the TV screen watching insanity videos to get into basic shape and started training within Jacob Puzey of McMillan running. But then injuries started. Apparently my body lost so much muscle mass and strength I was constantly getting hurt: tendons, muscles, back, knees, feet, ankles – everything hurt. I had to keep on training since I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to ramp up for the distance. But it worked.

I arrived very well prepared. Although my training included nutrition and hydration training, I was caught off guard during the race. I arrived three days before the race to acclimate to the altitude but didn’t drink enough fluids and arrived to the first day dehydrated. The first day was a nightmare, and I experienced cramps all over from very early on. But I hydrated like crazy overnight and completed the event amazingly strong. I was so proud and received such great feedback from patients, and frankly other people who were inspired and motivated to take matters into their own hands.

When you’re in a dark or challenging moment of a race, what strategy or strategies do you use to keep pushing?
What works for me since I was diagnosed is mindfulness meditation, or just being mindful of what I am doing in the moment. When it comes to the run, I try to notice my breathing, focus on how my body feels, convince myself that pain is just another sensation like pleasure and happiness. I think about why I’m running and what I’m trying to accomplish .

What’s your next goal you most want to achieve?
My primary goal in life is to prolong my life and be here for my wife and boys when they grow up and mature into young men. I want to live a long life with my wife and touch everyone who has been affected by cancer with Supportersize. When it comes to sports, I want to participate in an awesome endurance event once a year – something that will challenge me mentally, emotionally and physically and simultaneously help me draw attention to Supportersize and our mission. I want to keep motivating and inspiring fellow cancer patients. I’m thinking of a stand-up paddle board event, one that possibly circumnavigates New York City.

How can people connect with you?
Our Website is www.supportersize.org and you can connect to our Facebook and Instagram accounts from there. We welcome donations on the site to fund our upcoming activities.

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Do you know someone with an inspiring story that should be featured on Friday FITspiration? If so, email runladylike@gmail.com.

What inspires you most about Yariv’s story?