10/08/2026
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month💕
This month hits home for one of our owners - Katie Campbell.
Here’s her story:
“Breast Cancer Awareness Month is personal for our family.
Before I turned 40, I had a goal: run a marathon by 40.
Then I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Suddenly life became appointments, scans, chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and a lot of uncertainty. The marathon goal stopped feeling realistic, but I wasn’t ready to give up on having something to work toward.
So I changed the goal.
I decided I would run a half marathon instead.
I finished chemotherapy in October 2022. I had a double mastectomy on November 19. I finished radiation on February 15, 2023.
And on February 26 — just 11 days later — I ran that half marathon. 🏃♀️🎀
It wasn’t the marathon I had originally planned, but crossing that finish line meant more to me than I could have imagined.
And it turned out not to be the end of that goal at all.
Running became something Harley and I loved doing together. Since then, there have been more half marathons, 10Ks and plenty of other races along the way.
Then in January 2024, I finally ran my first full marathon.
And in 2026, I took it even further and completed the D***y Challenge at Walt Disney World — 48.6 miles across four consecutive races: a 5K, 10K, half marathon and full marathon.
The goal I had once changed because of cancer didn’t disappear. It just took a different path.
Exercise became less about what my body looked like and more about what it was capable of doing.
After cancer, movement meant something different.
It helped me rebuild strength after treatment. It gave me something positive to work toward when so much felt outside of my control. And it gave me an entirely new appreciation for being able to challenge my body instead of simply asking it to endure something.
There is real science behind that too.
Regular physical activity supports cardiovascular health, mental health, sleep, muscle strength and overall longevity. Strength training and weight-bearing exercise also help preserve bone density — especially important for women as we age and for many women after breast cancer treatment, when bone loss can become a very real concern.
Research also shows that for breast cancer survivors, regular physical activity is associated with better quality of life and lower risks of recurrence and breast cancer-related mortality.
Of course, exercise is never a guarantee against cancer. I know firsthand that you can do a lot of things “right” and still get sick.
But movement is one powerful thing we can do to take care of ourselves.
And somewhere along our journey, that became part of the reason our family decided to open Workout Anytime Thomson.
We wanted to create a place where other people could begin their own journey — whatever that looks like.
Maybe it’s running your first race.
Maybe it’s getting stronger as you get older.
Maybe it’s losing weight, protecting your bones, improving your health or simply having more energy to keep up with your kids.
Maybe you’re starting over after years of putting everyone else first.
Or maybe you’re going through something difficult and just need a place to take one small step forward.
You don’t have to already be fit.
You don’t have to know exactly what you’re doing.
You just have to start where you are.
Workout Anytime Thomson is a business our family chose to invest in, but our “why” has always been bigger than that.
If our gym can help someone discover what movement can do for their health, their confidence or simply the way they feel in their own body, then we’re doing exactly what we hoped to do when we opened the doors.
So this October, we’re celebrating the women who have fought breast cancer, the ones currently fighting, the families walking beside them and the loved ones we remember.
Cancer changed the direction of my life in plenty of ways I never would have chosen.
But it also gave me a deeper appreciation for strength, movement, second chances and all the miles still ahead.
Move your body.
Lift weights.
Walk.
Run.
Start small.
Start over.
Just start. 💗
Here’s to strong women, second chances, finish lines and all the miles still ahead. 🎀”
