Daniela Louisa Bright
Martial Arts has been a part of my life for over 15 years. The usual start, Karate, followed by Taekwondo where I got to represent and captain England in 6 different countries plus kickboxing with various ring fights!
It was always a passion for years to be able to come to Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp. A few training mates went there, it was just a case of money with a teaching job and waiting for the summer holidays.
So summer of 2012, it was finally time!! I had my Tiger trip booked…
The day I arrived I was so jet lagged but very excited so I trained that very day. That’s where I was introduced properly to BJJ and instantly fell in love with it!
I was very lucky the same week I arrived so did Fernando Maccachero, Roger Huerta, Don Madge and a friend Leo Tyson. These people were inspirational coaches to me.
I wanted way more from this experience, even though I was beginner at BJJ. I had done stand up for years, so I signed myself up to a Professional Muay Thai fight In Patong stadium. I take all my fights seriously, with 10 days notice I trained from 6:30am till sparring with the guys at night time!
I had TMT Trainer Songkram as an amazing private trainer that literally transformed me into a different fighter and have another new love Muay Thai. I put on loads of weight and muscle & enjoyed the pain of the intense training and strict regime there. I never felt more confident as a fighter.
The fight only lasted 30 seconds with a TKO heal kick to the face, a TKD kick! but still a win!
As soon as I got back to England, I was there booking a 6 week trip for the next summer with my mate Mike Vilen-Letts.
In the meantime I joined an MMA club asap, where I continued under Jimmy Wallhead.
I was offered a fantastic job last Summer in Houston Texas which meant Mike went on his own and sadly, I couldn’t go and was really gutted. I know he had best time.
I saw the positives and thought wow, the best place to be for MMA is the USA!! as soon as I arrived, I started looking for gyms, I didn’t want some corporate place, a coach who is truly amazing was top of the list! which I found, coach Michael Altman! FU dogs MMA. I could see with dedication and commitment I would finally see my opportunity to fight in MMA! life was good, returning to Tiger next summer & maybe even apply for the 2014/15 fight team.
Now the sad part of my story.
October 2013 I found a lump, scan, biopsy, lump removed, diagnosed at 29 with an aggressive breast cancer (triple negative type) and they thought it was nothing so since it has spread to armpit and near lungs.
I just started chemotherapy and will have to do it for 5 months followed by another surgery, then radiotherapy. plus just finished an IVF surgery in-case infertility becomes a side effect.
I kept telling myself this is not fair, I am so fit, healthy, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I follow a Paleo diet and my family does not have Cancer history and why at 29. This has been the most horrible 3 weeks of my life in the hospital everyday sometimes for 10. Hours being poked and tests and I feel like a pin cushion and I’m exhausted.
Tiger camp and many of my other martial arts routes has taught me that I have to look at this as a one of life’s challenges, a bigger fight perhaps, but a different one. If I can survive this then I can accomplish anything.
Please anyone who has the privilege of training healthy you are so lucky! I’m not going to let chemo stop me and when the day comes I will make it to that cage, and I will be back at Tiger camp!
Sadly, I’m over 14,000 dollars in debt due to treatment costs as there is no NHS here. I have created a funding site and any help big or small is much appreciated or simply, all I ask is that you share and raise awareness all the women out there.
Daniela Louisa Bright
To reach out to Daniela, please click on : www.gofundme.com/cancer-my-biggest-fight