Melanie Knox

My name is Melanie Knox I am 48 years old and I am a breast cancer survivor!! I grew up without a mother because I lost her to breast cancer when she was only 35 years old (I was 7).

On June 1, 2015 I heard the words every woman fears and too many hear, “You have breast cancer.” For me there was no question, I would undergo a bilateral mastectomy (I had already had two biopsies on my left breast and now cancer was found in the right one). On July 9, 2015 I had my surgery, everything went great, my recovery started right away by getting out and walking. My nurse (thank you Laura for everything) couldn’t believe how well I was recovering, that I had no pain and that in just a few short days I was already out walking a mile; she said they were never going to believe my chart back at the office!! My recovery continued to progress amazingly well, so much so that I ran in a 5-mile road race, against the will of some people who thought I was pushing myself too hard, just one month after my surgery!! I was able to do this because I had a great attitude, AMAZING support from friends and family AND I was healthy BEFORE I NEEDED to be healthy.

When I signed up as a Beachbody coach in February of 2015 I treated it like a coupon, (I LOVE coupons) to get workout programs and Shakeology at a discount, I had no idea how important it would be just 6 short months later. I had no idea I was going to be diagnosed with breast cancer when I decided to stop using my running as an excuse to eat poorly, I did not know I would NEED to recover from a major surgery, I did it because I wanted to try a new workout program and be healthier; I did it for me.

I became a certified personal trainer not only for myself, but also for all of you. I want to inspire you to take a moment and think about how you would recover from something of this nature. I want you to find it within yourself to realize that your health does matter TODAY, don’t wait for something bad to happen and then get on the health/fitness bandwagon, don't put it off because you "don't have time", it may be too late if you wait. I cannot force anyone to make better choices for themselves, I can only lead by example, teach, and hope to INSPIRE!!

My mantra will forever be…Be healthy BEFORE you NEED to be healthy!!