Swimming, and Changing Direction with Shalini Krishnan

Writing PromptsBodyMBC
Written By April Stearns

Shalini “Shal” Krishnan was diagnosed at age 31 with Stage II breast cancer. She works as a project manager in the international sports sector and currently lives in Lausanne, Switzerland with her partner.

Shalini reads her essay, “Swimming, and Changing Direction,” from the 2024 Body issue of Wildfire Journal. The piece transports us to a memory of being caught in the waves at a beach in Brazil, tossed, breathless, and disoriented. A moment of fear that lodged in her body and paralleled the experience of cancer.

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Swimming, and Changing Direction

What happens when the body you’ve always trusted suddenly feels like a stranger?⁠

At 31, Shalini Krishnan was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer—and found herself fighting not just disease, but disorientation, loss of control, and a body she no longer recognized. In her essay, she returns to a moment in the ocean, caught in waves, searching for ground that wouldn’t come.⁠

“I was powerless to change direction.”⁠

Through treatment, recovery, and the long aftermath, that feeling echoes—until something shifts. With time, she begins to reclaim what cancer seemed to take, rewriting her relationship with her body not as betrayal, but as partnership.⁠

⁠"It’s become clear to me that my body is looking out for me in the best way she knows how. Now it’s up to me to return the favor."⁠

This is a story about learning to trust again. About choosing perspective. About loving a body that keeps going—even when the waters are rough.⁠

Writing Prompt Inspired by Today’s Episode

Set your timer for eight minutes, write without stopping or editing yourself. There is magic in leaning into that time. The prompt is:

My body had never treated me like that before…

This is a line straight from Shalini's story. I love how she used it as a repeating refrain throughout. I invite you to give yourself the chance to explore this: "My body had never treated me like that before."

If you find that you write best with a good prompt, check out our free prompts and learn about our writing workshops.

Happy writing! Until next time, take good care.

Episode Links

Read a transcript of this episode.

Purchase the 2024 “Body” issue of Wildfire Journal.

Find Shalini on Instagram.

More about our episode sponsor: Young Survival Coalition

 

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Swimming, and Changing Direction with Shalini Krishnan
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Shalini “Shal” Krishnan was diagnosed at age 31 with Stage II breast cancer. She works as a project manager in the international sports sector and currently lives in Lausanne, Switzerland with her partner. In this episode, Shalini reads her essay, “Swimming, and Changing Direction,” from the 2024 Body issue of Wildfire Journal. The piece transports us to a memory of being caught in the waves at a beach in Brazil, tossed, breathless, and disoriented. A moment of fear that lodged in her body and paralleled the experience of cancer.

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April Stearns https://wildfirecommunity.org
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