Recovery Full of Heart: Chi-An Emhoff
On Oct. 8, Chi-An Emhoff, a professor of kinesiology at Saint Mary’s since 2014, marked her first anniversary as a breast cancer survivor by running a half marathon.
Celebrating Emhoff’s recovery is a slew of colleagues and students, including one special alum who literally went the extra mile to support her.
Actually, make that 13 miles. That’s the length of the annual Healdsburg Half Marathon, for which Chris Miller ’16, an athlete and trainer whom Emhoff taught and mentored at SMC, personally devised her training plan.
“I owe a lot to Chris for making himself a part of my recovery,” said Emhoff, an outdoor enthusiast and runner since high school and a researcher in the field of exercise and energy metabolism. “He took what he loved about our kinesiology major, what he learned here, and he made a really positive impact on my life. It was so nice to be the client and just show up.”
“Chi-An’s a rock star,” said Miller, who trained alongside Emhoff over the summer, providing not only technical expertise but also motivation. In September, he moved to Phoenix for a position with Altis, a professional track and field training group, but flew back to California to join Emhoff in the October race. Professor and alum ran in T-shirts bearing the image of a butterfly encircled by a pink heart; Emhoff’s also included the word “Survivor.” The shirts were designed by Emhoff’s husband, Troy, to symbolize positive transformation.
Only 37 at the time of diagnosis, with no family history of breast cancer or other known risk factors, Emhoff said that initially she was “in shock.” Nor did it alleviate her anxiety when doctors suggested contradictory treatment plans. But unlike most cancer patients, Emhoff—the recipient of a 2013 research award from the American Physiological Society and a 2015 corporate research grant from GU Energy Labs and Saint Mary’s to assess a food supplement for athletes—had the savvy to critique medical studies for herself.
Still, Emhoff said, “I had never thought about how important it is to be your own patient advocate. It’s important to question your doctors and always, always, always get a second opinion.”
Meanwhile, Emhoff is enjoying parenting two young daughters, mentoring women pursuing science and engineering careers through the Engineer Girl website, and being part of the “really special” community at SMC. The College, she said, “reminds the faculty, staff, and students to remember that we’re all human. We all share humanity together. And despite all the differences, the struggles and hardships everyone is going through, we’re all in this world together.”