Industry News
A year after revealing that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, pro-snowboarder Kimmy Fasani announced that she has completed her treatment and is now cancer free.
This morning I had my last drug infusion!! I have now completed the last part of my cancer treatment. I will have routine check-ins with my doctors every few months- for a long time- but I am now free from treatment and cancer free!! We did it!! ☀️🥳🫶✨
I used to look at the mountains as a happy escape, a physical challenge, a passion, an outlet. Not realizing that so many of my previous experiences in the mountains would provide tools to help me overcome the mental and physical challenges of going through cancer like; Knowing how to dig deep for strength. Channeling positive energy to focus on the good. Visualizing a path through the terrain. Weathering the storms knowing that they are temporary. And patiently appreciating each day for the adventure it will bloom to be.
As a new season starts, I stand on my snowboard and look up at these mountains, that I’ve known so well. But they look different. I see greater beauty, depth, and understanding in every crack and crevice. I see light in the darkest shadows, and most importantly I see the sun radiating it’s powerful healing solar rays -even despite the stormy skies.
Life gives us choices, challenges, as well as the tools to overcome… but we have to learn to navigate through all the forests, brave the storms, and rise above the clouds, to find the beauty from the top. When we make it to the top, there’s still no certainty that our challenges are over… but we have gained a plethora of new tools to weather the next major life experience.
Humbly, I am mentally still trying to wrap my head around the drastic departure from the life that I had imagined… I’m coming to terms with the fact that life’s uncertainty and pace can feel chaotically unstable at times. Yet, there’s so much beauty in the learning that goes along with these uncomfortable and painful moments.
So much resilience is gained when we acknowledge and face the challenges we are given with openness, optimism, or even allowing ourselves to feel our big emotions, with acceptance. (And maybe if I let go of my desire for control, it would be easier to go with the flow of the metaphorical river of life. 🫣😊) See you in the Mountains! 💞
Fasani has been a pioneer in women’s snowboarding since she became the first woman snowboarder to land a double backflip in the park and the powder in 2011. That year, she signed with Burton to become the face of the snowboard powerhouse’s AK line, says her bio on kimmyfasani.com.
Since then, she has appeared in dozens of snowboarding film segments, graced the cover and pages of snowboarding magazines, and continues to push the level of progression in her sport.
In 2016, she earned women’s Rider of the Year and Video Part of the Year honors for her segment in Absinthe Films’ “Turbo Dojo.”
She was nominated for the same accolades in 2017, and her son, Koa, was born in March 2018. Since having her son, she’s become a powerful voice for female athletes and their ability to balance motherhood and careers.
In 2019, she was featured in “Fire On the Mountain,” a Grateful Dead inspired action sports film her husband (professional skier) Chris Benchetler directed and produced. Kimmy filmed in Alaska for the Burton Snowboards film “One World,” released in the early winter of 2020. Kimmy took advantage of the downtime that 2020 brought by launching The Mountain Cookbook with a friend and co-owner of Dessert’D Organic bakeshop.
In 2021, Kimmy welcomed her second son, Zeppelin. She is set on getting back on snow and sharing the outdoors with her family as the new season approaches.
In October 2022, Kimmy and Chris started the Benchetler Fasani Foundation to provide a meaningful connection to the outdoors for those who have suffered loss or hardship by experiencing the healing properties found only in nature.
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