If anyone knows about beating the odds, it’s Terran Lamp. She’s been doing it since birth. Lamp was born with one kidney, and at three weeks old, she was diagnosed with heart disease. After multiple heart surgeries, Lamp received a pacemaker at age four. Around age 10, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
She’s fought, and overcome so much since she was young, including the idea that because of her health history, she needed to be overly cautious. Not Lamp. She’s been determined to live as “normal” of a life as possible. She ran track in high school and proved to others around her that she was a force to be reckoned with. Despite physical challenges, she’s always seen a benefit in pushing her body to be its strongest.
And then life handed her another curveball concerning her health. At 41, Lamp was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I was completely caught off guard when I got the news. I thought to myself, ‘I have had all these things. I cannot have one more thing,’” she recalls. “I was devastated. I thought I did my time, you know? With the c-word, you hear and read about it, but I would have thought I was done. I was in total disbelief. I would space out all the time because I would think to myself, ‘Is this going to be the thing that takes me out of here?’”
With the support of her family, friends, and medical teams, Lamp fought, and once again, prevailed. She is seeing the other side of breast cancer, and in an effort to reclaim her life and body again, she became a competitive bodybuilder. ESSENCE spoke with the survivor to learn about her journey, her passion for bodybuilding, and why it’s important for her to inspire others to live their best lives after a life-changing diagnosis.
ESSENCE: What helped you shift your mindset and fight through your breast cancer diagnosis?
Terran Lamp: I had a great support system. I was very fortunate to have my husband. I’ve always been physically active, so there would be times when he would say, ‘T, even if you just walk to the mailbox, we gotta keep you moving.’ People talk about it being a physical game when fighting cancer, but it’s just as much, if not more, of a mental game, too. So, I leaned on my faith and remembered that I have always been different. So, I changed my perspective to ‘What is this journey going to look like for me?’ Someone also told me, ‘Hey T, you’re just entering a new tribe.’ And so I did.
I found other people who were going through it and in different stages of the game than me. People who have been there have done that and got the T-shirt. At some point, you gotta lock in when life throws you curveballs. You either give up or get to it. You have to do all those things that it takes you through and be gentle with yourself, but you have to buckle in.
Knowing that you have a pacemaker, a brain tumor, and one kidney, what was the treatment process like?
Because I have had heart disease, I could not have chemotherapy. My pacemaker happened to be on the same side as my cancer. So I could not have radiation. My only choice was to remove my breast. That was basically it. The doctors told me I had a choice between the removal of one or the removal of two because I couldn’t have anything else with all these other preexisting conditions. So, I chose the double mastectomy and went through that process in 2016 and 2017.
After having a double mastectomy, what did it take to feel comfortable in your body again? As mentioned, it’s been through so much.
I’m a big proponent of therapy, especially because of the anxiety that comes with medical trauma. On top of that, I got into bodybuilding because I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to focus on something positive. I’m in my 40s, over 45 at that point. I wanted to get up there and do what I could, scars and all. I got to focus on loving my body the way it is and challenging it physically. I wanted to make little Terran proud and remind myself that you’re here for a reason. So we have to love this body we’re in because we only got one.
Was becoming a bodybuilder something you’d always wanted to do, or was it inspired by the desire to regain control over your body?
After all those things with cancer, I was like, I have to go big or go home. At first, I said I wanted to do one show before I was 50. I want to get up there on stage one time and be done. But now, here I am in my third season. I’m getting ready to compete again. With bodybuilding, I have to do an all-natural regimen because of my cancer. I can’t do any hormones or anything like that. But I work out daily and pack my lunch because diet is a huge part of competing. I’m also a personal trainer to people who think they can’t do it. When people say to me, ‘I want a trainer, but I have an ailment,’ I say to them, ‘Well, I have a pacemaker, brain tumor, one kidney, and cancer. So we’re going to make this happen.’ You don’t need to win the Tour de France or win the marathon. You just need to participate. I train clients to push their bodies to the limit, which has helped me not focus on what my body can’t do.
You are also the host of The Terran Lamp Show. Tell us more about that.
Before moving to Chicago, I lived in Los Angeles and worked in Beverly Hills. I came up with this business plan as a way to tell my story more. But then that business plan continued to sit in my cabinet. Fast forward to when I did move, I was telling my husband about it. He’s like, ‘Well, T, talking is your gift. Why don’t you just start an Instagram Live or a podcast?’ So I pushed the start button, and that was the beginning of The Terran Lamp Show. It started off with friends and family wanting to come on to share their journeys. Now, I’m getting ready to launch season 10. I’ve interviewed over 100 people from all around the world. It’s on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, and I do the show authentically on Instagram Live. Everybody has a story, and everybody’s story can connect.
We are all on this earth for a purpose. So, the Terran Lamp Show is here to inspire others to share their journeys by listening to my guests share theirs. That is what I love to do. I love to share my story in hopes of inspiring other people to live in their truth.
What advice do you have for other women who are experiencing health conditions that could ultimately be life-changing, especially during Breast Cancer Awareness Month?
I always say, seek your higher power. We all have unique journeys, and we must ask ourselves, ‘But what if this situation is bigger than you?’ Whatever the situation, asking those questions can help get you through whatever you may be battling with. We should always go to therapy, stay physically active, eat well, and do what’s best for ourselves. But it’s really about motivating yourself and taking action. If we can overcome our obstacles, we can help others get through theirs. That’s the whole point, right? To serve others. At one point, you are going to be in a position where the tables are going to turn, and you will pay it forward. When you are going through it, lean on people who want to help you. It will be your turn soon enough.