Cancer free: It’s not a term Kellsey Stokes identifies with. Because once you have survived breast cancer, you never feel like you’re totally free.

Kellsey was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 and went on to have a double mastectomy that November. She recovered from that surgery, and then underwent breast reconstruction the following March.

Today, after almost five years, there is no evidence of disease, but that doesn’t mean the stress is gone.

“It is exceptionally difficult living in a space knowing breast cancer can re-occur at any time,” said the 49-year-old.

“You go through treatment and when the treatment is over, everyone around you thinks, ‘Great, now you’re well and you’re good and you’re no longer treating this,’ but it could come back at any time, so you never really feel like you’re free,” explained the mother of two.

And even though Kellsey knows that the chances of reoccurrence is lower now that she has almost five years without evidence of disease, nothing is guaranteed.

This became a harsh reality six weeks ago when her mother passed away after her breast cancer returned, two decades after she first overcame it.

What does help Kellsey deal with her reality, her uncertainty, her fear, however, is exercise.

Not only is exercise linked to physical health benefits, such as improved insulin sensitivity, which is a key to avoiding cancer, Kellsey explained, but for her it is “absolutely necessary to give me my best path forward to protect my mental health.”

Adding Empower

After going into perimenopause last year, Kellsey, a CrossFit Level 2 coach from Austin, Texas, began Empower’s Flight program earlier this year.

Nine months in, Kellsey can’t speak more highly of the program, which she said has been really helpful in “taking perimenopause and the hormonal chaos you’re going through seriously,” she said.

And the physical results speak for themselves.

Since following Flight, Kellsey—who had been doing CrossFit since 2012—has had all-time personal bests on various lifts, including her back squat, deadlift and bench press.

“Before Empower, even though I did CrossFit regularly, I felt like I was losing ground. Losing strength. I am sure this is because perimenopause hit my system like a ton of bricks this past year. Not having as much estrogen was really affecting my muscles and my body’s capacity to synthesize muscle growth,” she said.

“But Empower has found a way around that estrogen loss and is helping me to build strength again that surpasses where I was even before I got cancer.”

Kellsey’s Message

Kellsey is adamant: Exercise is non-negotiable.

“Whether you’re the one in eight women who will get breast cancer, or the one in three who will get it again, I think that exercise is one of the most important things you can do in your life,” she said. “Lifting weights, hitting those sprint intervals, and getting in that work isn't just exercise, it is a fight for your life.”

“Start small if you must. Get a trainer if you need it, or join the Empower community and get wonderful encouragement and support. But just get started with moving three or four days a week. It can literally change your whole future.”

Further, Kellsey urges women not to fear strength training and muscle building.

“Women have been told to be small, to be feminine and I get so angry, because we need that muscle. My mom needed that muscle, It was so hard to watch her become so frail so fast,” Kellsey said.

“And I don’t want that for me, or for any other breast cancer survivor. We can give ourselves a better chance.”