Beverly Black Belt Beats Cancer with Exercise, Family, Spirit

Meet Frances Pratt. The members of the U.S. Tae Kwon Do Center in Beverly, Lynn, and Middleton know her as a newer black belt who recently completed the difficult nearly five-hour test for this degree on December 10, 2016, something that even the most fit teenagers find a tremendous challenge. They know her as a soft-spoken, modest, incredibly kind person who perseveres, works hard, inspires and supports others, and who has given (and gives) much of her own free time to help others in their Tae Kwon Do journey by providing instruction and tutoring as a valued member of the Leadership Team.

And all the Tae Kwon Do students are familiar with the warm and helpful Pratt “black belt family.” Frances’ two sons, Nick, and Daniel completed their black belt degrees some time ago and her husband, Harry, will be achieving his black belt soon.

But there is something about Frances Pratt that many didn’t know until her black belt test. Her story is best told in her own words from her “Speech of Appreciation” at the exam, during which the audience was moved by Frances’ poignant and even witty words to both laugh and cry:

“Four years ago, on October 1, 2012, I was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. I underwent surgery to remove my colon and 40% of my liver followed by 6 months of chemotherapy. After 6 months, I found out the cancer had returned and I underwent another round of surgery but no chemo this time. They said there was nothing they could do at this time. My body had to kick into gear and recognize the cancer cells and be able to fight it. It was November 2013. During this time, I read, and re-read anything I could find about my chances for survival. The statistics were not good. I had an 11% chance of survival. That didn’t sound good to me. Then I read that if I exercised regularly, my chances of survival would increase by 40%. That sounded much better to me. So, armed with this new knowledge and with [my husband] Harry’s and Master Kim’s kind encouragement, I started with [Tae Kwon Do] . . . fast forward to today . . . I am currently cancer free and have reached the 3-year mark and am confident that Tae Kwon Do is a major reason for this.

Frances went on in her speech to thank Master Kim and her Tae Kwon Do family, specifically giving kudos to many of her senior classmates who helped her through her own journey to Black Belt.

In a particularly touching moment of the speech, she thanked her husband, Harry. Frances stated: “I would like to thank my husband, Harry, with whom I started [Tae Kwon Do] as a white belt and who up until now has been beside me throughout this entire journey. It was our hope that we could complete this journey together. However, an injury prevented him from participating in class for many weeks. As a result, he urged me to continue and pursue my black belt without him. Harry, thank you for being my partner in crime at Tae Kwon Do. Thank you for coming up with the idea of taking Tae Kwon Do which has turned out be a great bonding experience for our family and gives our sons a chance to boss us around since they are higher in rank. Harry, thank you for having the energy to join me at [Tae Kwon Do class] even though sometimes you were bone tired from doing physically challenging work. And, thank you for allowing me to continue this journey just slightly ahead of you and for the support you have given me in training for my black belt.”

Frances showed wit, grit, and grace as she went on in her black belt speech to thank her primary Taekwondo Instructor Sna. She faced Instructor Sna and stated, “Instructor Sna, you are wise beyond your years. I am grateful that I have learned from you. You are truly passionate about the art and sport of Tae Kwon Do and it shows in your classes. Each class is different and challenging in many ways. Each day, you surprise me with a new drill or exercise aimed at making us faster, stronger or better at Tae Kwon Do. Sometimes, however, I think you invent these drills as your way of torturing us.” The audience laughed heartily at this comment. Frances continued, “more times than I care to mention, I have been sore for an entire week after one of your drills. My son, Nick who is in high school says that the training he receives for his track, soccer or wrestling cannot compare to the conditioning he receives from Instructor Sna. But in addition to the drills, Instructor Sna, you know every student’s body and what they are capable of . . . their strengths, weaknesses, limitations. There have been times when you knew I was dehydrated before I did or that I was on the verge of an injury. Instructor Sna, I thank you for all that you have taught me. Not just the basics, but also all the tips, techniques, strategies, insight that you have shared with me [such as] the little nuances of torqueing your body and how one small shift can change the power of a punch or kick . . . I would also like to thank you for not laughing too hard at me when I take sparring classes. I will always remember your words prior to sparring my husband: ‘Frances, this is the only place you are allowed to kick your husband’. Then you turned to Harry and you said, ‘Harry, it’s not nice to hit a lady’.” Everyone got a good chuckle out of that as well.

And Frances concluded her speech with more graciousness by continuing to thank her instructor: “Instructor Sna, I want to thank you for your patience, your understanding, your encouragement and for your words of support. I had huge self-doubt and you have helped me become more confident. I once asked you if you could tell if a new student would be good at Tae Kwon Do. Your response to me was, ‘No, because it is not just about the physical ability, it’s whether you have it in your heart’. Well, although I may not look like a black belt on the outside, I hope you know that I am a black belt in my heart. And, I know for a fact I would not be standing here today on the verge of getting a black belt if not for your instruction and support.”

But the truth is that we all must say thank you to Frances Pratt (who is now both a black belt on the inside as well as on the outside). Thank you for inspiring cancer patients everywhere, for inspiring children and adults who have made the decision to persevere on the difficult journey to black belt in Martial Arts with or without an illness or disability, for inspiring all those who are struggling to meet the physical and mental challenges of exercise and healthy living, and for, with true grace, inspiring every person working hard to keep their chin up in the struggles of facing difficult adversity.

Thank you, Frances Pratt, you are truly a remarkable person, and for that, we are all grateful.