{"id":5394,"date":"2026-02-05T08:45:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T08:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=5394"},"modified":"2026-02-05T08:45:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T08:45:26","slug":"i-thought-i-was-dehydrated-the-truth-was-far-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=5394","title":{"rendered":"I thought I was dehydrated \u2013 the truth was far worse"},"content":{"rendered":"

The sky was a deep, angry grey as\u00a0rain<\/a>\u00a0hammered down. We were somewhere mid-Atlantic, thousands of miles from land.<\/p>\n

My knuckles were white on the\u00a0oars as I rowed<\/a>, clinging to the last shred of control as the\u00a0storm<\/a>\u00a0raged around our small boat. In front of me, I heard my crewmate Jo say something but her words were swept away by the wind.<\/p>\n

The storm abated<\/a>\u00a0as quickly as it had descended, and as the ocean calmed, from behind me, I heard my second crewmate, Lebby, ask if I was OK. I grinned back, adrenaline surging. \u2018It was fun!\u2019.<\/p>\n

\n

World Cancer Day<\/h2>\n
\n

World Cancer Day is held annually on February 4th.<\/p>\n

It aims to raise awareness and encourage global action against cancer.<\/p>\n

The day focuses on spreading knowledge about cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment options.<\/p>\n

The event aims to foster a worldwide movement to reduce the impact of cancer by involving individuals, organizations, and governments.<\/p>\n

Activities such as awareness events, campaigns, and lighting up landmarks are common ways of observing the day worldwide.<\/p>\n

World Cancer Day serves as a platform to empower people and communities to take active roles in cancer control and advocacy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

I\u2019d wondered how I\u2019d react to storms. It turns out, I thrived on them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That moment, battered by the elements and yet more alive than ever, captured everything The Mothership was about.<\/p>\n

We were four, working, mid-life\u00a0mums<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 my sister, Pippa, was the fourth on our team \u2013\u00a0 determined to\u00a0row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic<\/a>\u00a0as part of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, not just to test our limits, but to show our combined 11 children that no dream is too big, and that courage isn\u2019t the absence of fear but the resolve to push through.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Felicity<\/div>
With three young children and a demanding job, my life was already a juggling act (Picture: Felicity Ashely)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Training had been an endurance event in itself. With three young children and a demanding job, my life was already a juggling act.<\/p>\n

But six days a week I\u2019d rise before dawn to protect that sacred time for myself and my goal. I did a mixture of rowing machine sessions, strength and conditioning and pilates or yoga, mainly out of the\u00a0make-shift gym<\/a>\u00a0in our garage.<\/p>\n

In December 2022, the day finally came to say goodbye at the start line in La Gomera, Canary Islands. I\u2019d expected to feel nervous.<\/p>\n

Instead, I felt sad but excited and calm \u2013 my quiet confidence forged by nearly two years of relentless preparation.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Felicity<\/div>
We were four, working, mid-life mums determined to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic (Picture: Felicity Ashely)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next 40 days of boat life was a simple routine of eat, sleep, row, repeat. We rowed in pairs for two hours on, two hours off, 24 hours per day.<\/p>\n

In off-shifts, sleep was a priority, in small cabins at either end of the boat that were just about long enough to lie down in, as well as personal \u2018admin\u2019 \u2013 from basic personal hygiene to eating to refuel.<\/p>\n

The ocean was a tapestry of extremes: the awe of\u00a0dolphins racing alongside us<\/a>\u00a0and the raw fear when something threatened to derail our plans.<\/p>\n

On Christmas Eve day, our water maker broke. We spent two long, anxious hours tinkering with it before it spluttered into life, only for our steering to fail when large waves knocked us off course.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Felicity<\/div>
We bonded deeply and laughed \u2013 a lot (Picture: Felicity Ashely)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the dead of night, with the wind raging and waves crashing, we didn\u2019t know if we\u2019d be able to complete the race. Fortunately, in the calmer light of day, we fixed the problem and carried on.<\/p>\n

We bonded deeply and laughed \u2013 a lot. We hosted \u2018Mothership Awards\u2019, which saw me take the dubious title of \u2018Mum most likely to need an inconvenient poo on night shift\u2019.<\/p>\n

Around halfway, I had started noticing\u00a0stomach cramps<\/a>\u00a0and needed frequent trips to our makeshift bucket toilet. We laughed it off, blaming the dehydrated ration packs and sheer volume of food required for our physical exertion.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Felicity<\/div>
I felt invincible (Picture: Nakul Sunuwar)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Arriving at the finish line in Antigua was pure euphoria. We finished 13th out of a fleet of 37 boats, beating many of the men\u2019s and the mixed crews. The cheers, the horns and the sight of the crowds on the dock was overwhelming.<\/p>\n

My children scrambled onto my lap, my dad\u2019s hug was fierce with pride and relief. I\u2019d lost 10kg and picked up a few aches, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I felt invincible.<\/p>\n

Back home, however, the stomach cramps worsened and I was alarmed to see\u00a0blood in my stools<\/a>, so I made an appointment to see my GP. Three weeks and several tests later, during a colonoscopy meant to \u2018rule out\u2019 cancer, I heard the words no one wants to hear: \u2018You have\u00a0bowel cancer<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Felicity<\/div>
The news was a freight train through my life (Picture: Jacky Yao)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was stunned. I had just rowed an ocean, how could I be seriously ill? Looking back, I wonder if being so fit helped my body to cope with the disease.<\/p>\n

The news was a freight train through my life. My first thoughts were for my family. My children were just four, seven and nine at the time, and my dad was already\u00a0battling terminal cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

My parents were devastated but calm and supportive and we broke the news gradually to our children. They took it in their stride but they hated seeing my PICC line \u2013 a catheter for administering medications \u2013 crying out \u2018Put it away, Mummy!\u2019 if it became visible.<\/p>\n

Later, Mum told me how upset Dad was \u2013 he knew too well the journey I was about to go on.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Felicity<\/div>
Exercise became my anchor (Picture: Felicity Ashely)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soon after my diagnosis, I had surgery to remove part of my bowel, but when cancer cells were found in my lymph nodes two weeks later, I faced six rounds of chemotherapy.<\/p>\n

Each round drained me and left me nauseous for a few days before I gradually regained my strength for the next one. My rowing experience had honed my physical and mental resilience, and I leaned on it.<\/p>\n

Exercise became my anchor<\/a>, walking and running, finding comfort and positivity in moving my body in nature. It helped me recover physically and mentally.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I had my final chemo session almost exactly a year after the row, which felt surreal. I was grateful, but also adrift, no longer protected by the routine of active treatment. I don\u2019t think this is unusual.<\/p>\n

I threw myself back into a more varied fitness regime, determined to feel like \u2018me\u2019 again \u2013 but cancer was a catalyst for change.<\/p>\n

I left my corporate role and pursued a new path as a motivational speaker and now, author. In the autumn of 2024, I started writing my book, Stronger than the Storm, which I hope inspires others to believe in themselves and keep going, no matter what life throws up.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Felicity<\/div>\n
\n

I wanted to prove to myself that I\u2019ve not just survived but come back stronger. We\u2019re all capable of far more than we think but too often, we let self-doubt or society\u2019s limits hold us back.<\/p>\n

My message, especially to young girls and my own children, is this: don\u2019t let fear or other people\u2019s expectations define you. You are stronger than you know, and you can weather any storm.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The sky was a deep, angry grey as\u00a0rain\u00a0hammered down. We were somewhere mid-Atlantic, thousands of miles from land. My knuckles were white on the\u00a0oars as I rowed, clinging to the last shred of control as the\u00a0storm\u00a0raged around our small boat. In front of me, I heard my crewmate Jo say something but her words were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t