Articles Bios & Interviews The Canuck: Joanne Williams Crushes Breast Cancer & Competes At Canadian Nationals
Joanne Williams is a Canadian national level competitive bodybuilder; it is something she takes very seriously. The following article outlines Joanne's background, how she got into bodybuilding, how she defeated breast cancerthree and a half years ago and is now on the verge of turning pro in the Canadian bodybuilding circuit. Joanne knows what it is like to dig deep, work hard and overcome adversity with the sheer tenacity of her will. Both men and women can learn from her and how she has walked her path with her head held high through some of the hardest points in her life.
Joanne was born and bred to be an athlete. She led a childhood of that consisted of dancing for 12 years, track, figure skating, volleyball and basketball. In addition to all that, her parents made sure that she ate fairly clean and instilled proper dietary habits at an early age. Her childhood was the perfect breeding ground for what Joanne would evolve into. As she grew out of her teens and into her twenties, she moved to Rexdale, a north western Toronto suburb, and started attending a big name gym. While she was training at that gym, she shed 40 pounds and put on a ton of muscle. She realized that she had a gift for putting on muscle and immediately became interested in bodybuilding. Joanne started picking up magazines and learning the old fashioned way out of the magazines; the way that most of us gym rats learned.
At the time, Joanne had no interest in actually stepping on stage. Admittedly, she revealed to me that she was comparing herself to people like Lenda Murray and Corey Everson and she didn't feel like she could look like that. Those two names became a very large source of inspiration for her in the coming years, she had an archetype in her mind of what she wanted to look like. Sort of a blend of those two legendary athletes. Something was slowly gnawing away at her mind, telling her that she should compete, she ignored it for the time being.
Fast-forward a couple years and Joanne was now married to a bodybuilder and fully living the bodybuilding lifestyle, minus competing. She said something to me as we spoke that resonated with me and I think would resonate with any true bodybuilder:
"I couldn't live without training. If I ever got sick and couldn't train, I don't know what I would do. I'd probably keep trying to train somehow. It is not only part of my life but it is my lifestyle. Without it, it feels like something is missing, a part of me is missing."
Unfortunately for Joanne, she was about to go through an experience that would test her mettle as a person and truly put her to the test.
Just as she was turning a point in her training and really considered competing, she was stricken with breast cancer. We all know people who have been affected by breast cancer, or any kind of cancer, and it is about as serious as serious can get. For a second, as a thought experiment, put yourself in her shoes. She has focused on being healthy her entire life, been in the gym, eating right, everything and then you get the message that you have cancer. If you are a male reader, flip it to something you could relate to like testicular cancer. That feeling in the pit of your stomach you are feeling is what she felt when she found out, multiplied by the fact that it was for real. Your character is tested when you receive news like this, this is what can crush you or fire you up to do the best you can to fight back. Joanne fought back.
Joanne pulled out all the stops and started therapy immediately, radiation, the whole nine yards. Joanne likened going through this onslaught of terrible events to training in the gym; there are demons and voices that will stop you if you let them, but the battle is mental and you need to have a strong mind. As with recovery from illness, to training in the gym as hard as you can; the mental game is a huge part to victory. What is most remarkable about the entire story is that Joanne did it alone. She didn't tell anyone about what she was going through and she just muscled through it by herself. She knew she wasn't ready to leave yet and that she wasn't going anywhere; so why did anyone need to know.
However dark that battle became, Joanne found the light and overcame her affliction in the middle of 2010. At that point, she was beaming with positivity and a fresh perspective on life. She had won herself a second chance at life and she began to appreciate the simple things in life so much more. She realized that she had a dream that was going unfulfilled and that was to compete in bodybuilding. Joanne decided to grab life by the balls and twist them.
Joanne had gained something from her ordeal and it was how to dig deep and look for motivation within herself. She trained for her first bodybuilding show and she revealed to me how she got through some of the tougher parts of training. Again, this is a belief that I hold and I am sure that it resonates with anyone else that has competed in bodybuilding before:
"Even though the diet was hard, even though the cardio was hard and even though the training was hard; it was nothing compared to some of the things that people go through on a daily basis. Some people don't have the privilege to eat diet food or to train in a gym or to do cardio. Some people can't walk, can't squat and can't even come home to a bed and get the rest they need. So who am I to sit here and complain about having to eat 8 meals a day or to complain about having to do cardio? To me, that is a privilege and I am lucky to be able to do it. I don't complain about it, it doesn't give me pain, I enjoy every minute of it because it is my dream and I am lucky to be able to chase it."
I couldn't have put it better myself.
Now, Joanne is training for the win. Her biggest key to bodybuilding is time management and focus. She makes sure that she has her days planned out ahead of time and that all of her food is ready to go. Her life is like a well-oiled machine that is exact and is dedicated to a purpose – her purpose is bodybuilding. Joanne says that making excuses about not having enough time to train – even just recreationally – is really a lack of motivation and drive; you have to believe in yourself. She holds down a full-time job, takes care of her diabetic cat Lola and her boyfriend, IFBB Pro Bob Weatherill.
Joanne at Nationals in 2011
Joanne has competed in the Mississauga Port Credit Bodybuilding Show and placed 1st in the Heavyweights, 2nd in the Masters and won the Overall title. After that she went on to compete in the 2010 Ontario's and took 1st in the Heavyweights and Masters. In 2011, Joanne competed again but this time at the Canadian Nationals and took 2nd in the Masters and 3rd in the Heavyweight Division. Not bad for someone who just told breast cancer to go to hell, eh?
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R.I.P. Darren Oliver Darren helping Joanne backstage at Nationals
Joanne is now training for the Canadian Nationals again with the vision of victory and pro status. As her late trainer, Darren Oliver, used to tell her "You train for first place, there is no other option". Darren Oliver had trained her and many other athletes in the Canadian bodybuilding arena. He was a very kind and gentle soul who always would provide help to anyone if they asked. He hardly ever said a bad word about anyone and was a good man. No matter how busy he was, he always made time for others. You could always count on being greeted with a big smile and hello anytime you saw Darren. I, the author, had trained with him too in Toronto for two bodybuilding shows – both Joanne and myself would like to take this opportunity to recognize him as the great friend, mentor and trainer that he was. We'll miss you, Darren.
Her boyfriend/trainer, Bob, is training her one on one at this point and keeping her motivated. It is a rare case of a relationship between two bodybuilders working well. They are able to compartmentalize their relationship away from bodybuilding so the two things don't interfere with each other. When they are in the gym, it is trainer and client; away from the gym, well, I don't need to tell you.
I asked Joanne about how she deals with haters, since female bodybuilders tend to attract a lot of that kind of thing. She says that it is usually people that can't chase their own dreams and they like to tear down other people who are truly happy and going after what they want. Even so, she rarely gets negativity from people; she certainly doesn't deserve it as she is one of the nicest people I have ever met.
In closing, Joanne has been through a lot and she used it to fuel herself in a way that she may have not come across if not for the sickness. She wanted me to end this article with this last comment and I will oblige her. "Not everybody gets a second chance at life and you don't know what will come tomorrow; go after your dreams today, stay positive and don't wait a second longer. "
If you have any questions, comments or story ideas, please e-mail me at: [email protected]
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