A mum in her late fifties believes going to the gym and staying super fit is the reason she beat cancer.
Tricia Totten, 54, began her fitness journey in her early twenties, initially focusing on aerobic classes before she fell in love with weightlifting.
She stayed dedicated to fitness throughout her two pregnancies and as a stay-at-home mum, managing to squeeze in at least three days of training a week.
Being in such good health, Tricia was shocked when she was diagnosed with stage 1B ductal carcinoma breast cancer in March 2017.
But even that wouldn’t stop her going to the gym – and she credits continuing to stay fit with surviving cancer and remaining strong through a partial mastectomy and reconstruction, 16 rounds of chemotherapy, and 33 sessions of radiotherapy.
‘At the time of my cancer diagnosis, in 2017, I was literally in the best physical shape of my life,’ said Tricia, from Houston, Texas. ‘My energy levels were sensational and my life at home was as close to perfect as it’s ever been.
‘My children were both in college, so I was able to focus a majority of time on training in the gym. My cancer was identified as, stage 1B ductal carcinoma in my left breast.
‘Once the cancer treatments began, I had to adjust my workout plan, but I did not stop.
‘Time in the gym was a huge contributor to my survival, both physically and mentally; it was one of the few places where I could forget that I had cancer.
‘The control over my workouts and of my nutrition made me feel stronger than the cancer.
‘Even though I was not physically strong during the cancer treatments, mentally I was still dominant. This feeling of mental control spilled over into all aspects of my life.’
Tricia says she used to see herself as a ‘victim’ of cancer and believes that once she changed this mindset, she began to heal faster.
‘Cancer did change me,’ she says. ‘It made me a better person by putting me in touch with my mortality. I learned to be grateful for every moment I get to be with the people that I love.
‘The moment that I stopped seeing myself as a victim of cancer, I found my purpose. Once I re-phrased the question from a helpless, “why did this happen to me?” to an empowered, “how can I use this obstacle to make my life better?”, the fear dissipated, and courage took charge.
‘Cancer became an opportunity for me to put all of the motivational quotes that I had been using over the years into action.
‘This was my chance to live by faith, hope and strength whilst navigating through one of the most challenging times of my life.’
Tricia is sharing her story to encourage others with cancer to stay strong.
She shares the lessons she’s learned, along with workouts and pictures of her super-toned body, on Instagram to thousands of followers.
‘I am more present than ever, and I certainly do not waste energy on negativity,’ says Tricia. ‘Cancer solidified my faith in all things good and put me on a mission to spread hope, love and strength to other cancer fighters and survivors around the world.
‘My first goal was to limit what cancer was going to take from me. Surgery took part of my breast and the chemo took all of my hair, but I refused to let it steal my positive attitude, my love for family and friends, or my passion for health and fitness.’
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