It All Started With a Motorcycle - Life After Breast Cancer
- Angie Sandow
- Jun 17
- 3 min read
Life After Breast Cancer: The New Perspective That Led Me to a Motorcycle
Last week, Jerry Agar, host of The Jerry Agar Show on Newstalk 1010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, asked listeners a thought-provoking question: What life-changing event changed the direction of your life?
My answer was simple. A breast cancer diagnosis. Why? It forced me to stop waiting.
For years, I had wanted a motorcycle. Like many people, I kept putting it off. There was always a reason. Work. Timing. Life. The "right day" would come eventually. Then cancer arrived and taught me something important:
The right day isn't guaranteed.
So I stopped waiting. I got the motorcycle. Not only that, but I had it modified so that I could ride it with one hand. Why? I was born with a condition called Poland Syndrome, which resulted in the right side of my upper torso being underdeveloped. No pec muscle, a smaller shoulder, a limb difference—just to name a few things.
When Jerry played my recorded message, I heard him say he was intrigued by that part of my story. As an avid motorcyclist himself, he wanted to know more.
A few days later, we connected for what turned into a fascinating ten-minute conversation.
We talked about motorcycles, of course. We talked about music. We talked about my journey from the corporate world to becoming an inspirational speaker and humorist.
We talked about the message I share with audiences: that no one should ever let others' judgments or doubts determine what is possible for them. People will always have opinions, and sometimes those opinions can be cruel. If I had listened to the people who thought I couldn't ride a motorcycle, play guitar, or pursue my dreams, my life would look very different today.
Don't let someone else's perception of you become your reality.
What struck me most about the interview wasn't that I was on the radio. It was how one question took me back to a moment that completely changed my outlook on life.
A breast cancer diagnosis convinced me to stop waiting.
That decision led to a motorcycle.
The motorcycle led to adventures.
The adventures led to stories.
The stories led to an award-winning documentary, ANGIE: Tales of Determination, and my book, From Chemo to Throttle.
The documentary and book led to speaking engagements.
And those speaking engagements continue to introduce me to incredible people and opportunities I never could have imagined.
All because I finally decided that someday had arrived and that there is life after breast cancer.
So now I'll ask you the same question Jerry asked his listeners:
What life-changing event changed the direction of your life?
And perhaps an even more important question:
What are you still waiting for?
Born different, built strong — see you on the next turn.
ang
About the Author
Angie Sandow is an Inspirational Humourist, Comedian, Author, and Speaker who proves that age and difference don’t limit us—they give us better material.
Born with Poland Syndrome, a rare condition whose most visible sign is a limb difference affecting her right arm and hand, and later becoming a breast cancer survivor, Angie rides a motorcycle with one hand, plays guitar with a prosthetic, and shares humorous, inspiring stories that encourage audiences to live boldly, embrace new adventures, and never let limitations—or the opinions of others—define what is possible.
👉 Learn more or book Angie to speak at your next event: BOOKING
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