Caroline Olsen is now in the biggest race of her life, battling cancer. The 2011 Norwegian Champion and 2013-2019 MotoAmerica contender was diagnosed with breast cancer in July of this year. She and her partner Ole Bjorn got married August 2nd, and she told Roadracing World this month, “I got diagnosed with breast cancer. So an eventful summer. I’m due for 6 months of chemo, then surgery followed by radiation; 1 year of treatment but I’m supposed to get cancer free by the end.”
On July 22, Caroline had posted on her social media, “Exactly 3 weeks ago we learned I had breast cancer with spreading to lymph (nodes). A bullet in my right chest that I thought was dense mammals turned out to be a large tumor. Today I donated my hair and had my first dose of chemo. It has gone by fast and it feels good to get started. We are prepared for the next year to be tough, but the most important thing is that I will recover fully ❤️.
“With some help from family and friends, we’ve had a nice couple of weeks camping with the boys, which I really appreciate.
“In the end; if you know something doesn’t feel right, don’t wait. I hope this post can be the little nudge you need.”
On August 26th, she posted, “Then the hair was completely gone, and it will be like that for a while to come. I will honestly admit that it was a little tougher than I had thought. The difference between 3mm hair and the whole bald is felt enormous. Fortunately, it’s only temporary, and the hair grows back; we also enter the autumn season with a lot of hats, it won’t go wrong either.
“As (son) Dennis so nicely pointed out: ‘Mom, you don’t have hair’
“No, but I’m still me. I share openly about my illness because it makes it easier for me and those around me to talk about cancer. Cancer is still a scary word for so many. Maybe through transparency we can make it a little less scary for those who will one day go through the same thing? What do you think?
“I choose to believe so.”
Follow Caroline’s cancer journey on her new Instagram: carolineoplassen
