The reason for creating the SoulKind Blog was so that we could share more of the stories we encounter, all inspiring in their own right, but not all able to make the printed journal straight away. April Doherty who lives in Maryland, USA is one such story who I heard about through a great Instagram account called @seemystrong. It showcases fitness stories to inspire and empower from women across colour, culture, age, body size and ability, well worth checking out. I caught up with April via zoom to learn of her story first-hand.

“Most people call me Ape” she says warmly, so that’s what I do. Both of us are all smiles and it feels like we are already friends. Ape is a paralegal who now spends most of her time fighting animal abuse, both in the courts and through educating others. “Education is my jam”, she says talking passionately about her work. “It’s absolutely key to our success.” She is also a powerlifter, a personal trainer, a loving wife, a ‘mom’ to two rescue Pitbull mix dogs and a grad student in Veterinary Forensic Medicine, who has taken a break to undergo chemotherapy treatment for a triple negative breast cancer diagnosis.

On top of the pressures that Covid19 has brought, following her recent diagnosis in December 2020,

Ape has been forced to shield herself away, a double lockdown, in order not to disrupt her chemotherapy and imminent surgery for a double mastectomy. She sits buoyantly in front of the camera, her head shaved but with clear re-growth and she looks well. I can already sense what a positive, strong woman she is, even to be talking to a stranger about something so personal, says a lot.

But Ape also openly admits her journey since the diagnosis has been as much a mental one as it has been physical. “I’m doing fairly well, but it’s been a real brain challenge” she says modestly. “I made the difficult decision not to have reconstructive surgery to minimise the number of total surgeries I’d need to have. After the mastectomy I will also need to have some of my lymph nodes taken away and tested to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread anywhere else in my body. As things stand, they don’t think it has, but as we all know cancer is a giant asshole.” Despite what lies ahead, Ape is empowered by her decision and she already has a large breast tattoo designed, in readiness to commemorate the journey.

We talk about how she manages to cope with everything and it becomes evident how important Ape’s training regime has been to keep focused , but specifically via an online community called ‘Barbells for Boobs’, set up to bring breast cancer victims together and help them by sharing experiences.

“We are all different, but we can learn so much off each other”

— Ape Doherty

“These communities that exist to help us through extreme trauma, or difficult periods in our lives are so important. Every single day, you have to make a choice to step forward with courage and that’s so hard. By sharing my cancer journey, all I really want to do is empower others going through their own diagnosis. We are all different, but ultimately, we can learn so much off each other in what is a shit-show of a journey. Sometimes I feel vulnerable sharing it, but that’s all part of the process. We need to be humble, kind, compassionate, always willing to learn and grow.” For me, Ape’s honesty speaks volumes and it’s pretty sound advice to think when we strip everything back, we just need to be nice and listen to one another.

Leading up to her diagnosis, Ape was in the best shape of her life. Her body was physically strong from weight-training, her hair was the longest it had ever been, and her “fresh local” diet was healthy. She believes strongly that both a desire for healthy nutrition and a determination to keep her body active, has given her the best possible fighting chance at beating the cancer. She says “I’ve butted heads with doctors because I want to look beyond the statistics of a ‘typical patient’. A large percentage of people with a diagnosis will trust implicitly what their doctor tells them is the best course of action. But sometimes your doctor doesn’t know all the answers, or see the whole picture. There is so much research out there about the best foods to consume and the importance of exercise and I don’t think a lot of people have the inclination or know-how to find it. That’s why these communities based on shared experiences are so vital.”

Ape clearly has the determined, positive mindset to beat her cancer and is a genuine inspiration to others, so I’m keen to know about her background and where this mindset may have come from. She says “Since an early age I was always hungry to learn and grow and I’m the first person in my family in 50 years to go through any kind of advanced education, something I’m still very proud of today.”

“Since an early age I was always hungry to learn and grow ”

— Ape Doherty

She opens up briefly about a difficult childhood and the radically different life path that she has subsequently chosen instead. “I have an interesting family history, shall we say, which is probably where my desire to learn and grow comes from.” She laughs, (as sometimes we only can), as she backtracks through the traumatic period growing up. “My mum’s side of the family is riddled with a history of drug addiction and prostitution, so throughout my childhood I witnessed way too much toxicity in people. My mum dropped out of school to care for my aunt. Another aunt I remember seeing in the bath going through heroin withdrawal when I was really young. It’s an image that has remained with me, but also given me strength. I was determined from that moment on never to end up that way.”

Ape admits it’s something she rarely talks about, except for one occasion when she was invited into The Community School in Baltimore to give a talk where a lot of the children have parents who are struggling with addiction and life in their own way. “To see first-hand how many families are still affected by these problems is really disturbing. But seeing all that in my own childhood also formed my dedication to law enforcement and working at the prosecution office.”

She remembers back to being in secondary school and taking an exam in paralegal studies, which put her on the path to becoming a paralegal. “I was actually really bad at exams, but somehow on this one occasion I came top of the class. As a result, I was offered a choice of two law firms for my final year work study program. One was close by to where I lived at the time and the other was based in Baltimore City, notorious for its problems with crime and drugs. I made the more difficult choice to go to Baltimore and that was the beginning of my legal career.”

Ape believes it was that decision to step outside of her comfort zone that opened the door for her. She worked her way up through the ranks, beginning as the secretary and then working alongside many different attorneys, all whilst studying for her associates degree at university. Having achieved the desired qualifications and experience, when an opening for a full-time paralegal position came up, she applied and got the job.

It was then that Ape became specifically focused on animal welfare. She says “I found there wasn’t really a team dedicated solely to the animal abuse cases, so after spreading the word that I was interested in taking them on, I became the go-to person.”

In 2012, Ape formed and fronted the first dedicated unit in Baltimore County for animal abuse cases and now travels nationally to train others how to investigate and prosecute animal abusers. And in 2019 she set up a non-profit organisation called Maryland Animal Cruelty & Animal Fighting Taskforce to promote animal abuse prosecutions, publicise and facilitate the enforcement of animal fighting, welfare and cruelty laws.

Ape’s love for her work and animals also transfers into her life’s motto. She says “My motto is ‘live like a dog’. And what I mean by that is, we should all live more in the moment. When we walk our dogs and they stop to sniff, all they are thinking about in that moment is sniffing and filling their brains with smells and scents. So when I’m out, I have become so much more conscious of my surroundings, the sounds, the smells, looking up and around more to let nature into my brain.”

Ultimately, Ape is sharing her journey, not for any recognition, but to connect with and help others that may be going through the same struggles. In everything she does, Ape is very much invested in people and I whole heartedly admire that. I know this week will be the last week of her chemotherapy treatment, a huge milestone in the journey. Not only do I wish her well in the next stages, I very much look forward to meeting her in person, when Chris and I get back across the pond, to give her one big hug.

You can follow Ape on Instagram @reshapewithape