What many people don’t know about Janessa is that she is deeply passionate about causes close to her heart. And in this case, a cause that tangibly touched her life in 2014 when she was hit head-on on I-35W by a drunk driver going the wrong way on the interstate. And, as her gym family (her friends!), we are so thankful she is still here to not only tell her story, but share her life in a way that can change the lives of so many.
Read MoreAfter battling breast cancer three times, you might think Marlene Wexler wouldn’t have any fight left to give. But you’d be wrong. This 72-year-old Brooklyn Park weight lifter is anything but down on her own luck. “I always say, ‘You can give up, you can give in, or you can give it all you’ve got,’” she says. And Erin, at age 33, was considered too young for concern and she had zero history of breast or ovarian cancer in the family. She also breastfed her two kids, didn’t drink in excess, and didn’t take a hormone replacement. But following the exam, her radiologist scheduled a biopsy that confirmed what Erin was bracing herself to hear: The C word. She had Stage 2 breast cancer, which called for chemo, radiation, surgery, and reconstruction. “I was in shock. I was devastated. The wind was knocked out of me,” she says. “I immediately thought it was a death sentence.”
Read MoreLifelong runner Kelly May challenges herself for the race of a lifetime with results that were beyond her dreams.
Read MoreThe bottom line was, I didn’t feel like me anymore. My life was all about Tye… and that was ok because I was absolutely LOVING motherhood and being a stay-at-home mom. But after hearing Dawn Bryant’s incredible 130-pound weight loss story, I began to closely follow the Bodies by Burgoon Facebook page. I thought that if these trainers and this gym could have such a profound impact on this woman’s health and life, then maybe they could help me, too. I knew I couldn’t lose the weight by myself. And although the gym was a 35-minute drive from my house, I knew in my heart that I needed to come here and surround myself with these people.
Read MoreI knew I needed to do something about the 286 pounds I was carrying around. I thought about it every moment. No one would know that, because people don’t like to admit that stuff. I pretended it was a non-issue. I purposefully over-emphasized my strengths so people (including myself) would forget that I was heavy…so that they’d only see my heart and passion. It wasn’t that I didn’t like myself…but the reality is my body and health were keeping me from being ALL of me. And it wasn’t just about weight loss or gaining strength. My health journey helped me through three spinal surgeries (one situation leaving me with life-threatening complications and significant neuropathy in my feet and legs that I still deal with today), and even through the loss of my father. Health and fitness, I learned, was FAR MORE than just physical. It made every ounce of me a better and stronger person — which was good for me and everyone surrounding me).
Read MoreIn 2014, when I started at the gym I was at such a low point in my life. Probably the lowest I’d ever been, in such a dark place emotionally. I felt like I had nothing left to give, no strength. Perhaps in some respects, feeling like I was face down, flat on the ground, was a helpful thing. Because it was almost like I felt like I couldn’t get any lower, fail any more than I already had. It makes me so incredibly sad to think about that time of my life and knowing the extent of the dark and lonely place I was in. Sometimes, I think it isn’t until we reach the absolute bottom that we find the complete recipe for grit and perseverance. And I think that is what happened with me. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t an absolute struggle many days, in the beginning, to get my rear into the gym. I was scared. So much that I was nauseous for months. Every day that was a gym day, I felt sick. Determined, but sick. Full of anxiety. Unsure of whether I could do it. Yet I knew I had to try. So I could be the strongest version of myself, for myself but also for my son.
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