Lois Withers

I started training with the guys at Cardiff Personal Training Studio while I was still going through my Breast Cancer treatment. I knew I had to start exercising because I had committed to take on a huge mountain only a month after finishing my battle with cancer – Kilimanjaro! The guys were great with me, and gradually stepped up my training and gave me some great advice for what I should be doing outside of the sessions.

I was diagnosed with cancer 13 months before my Kilimanjaro climb and during that time I had chemo for four months along with herceptin, which I had for a year, I also used alternative treatments, including reflexology and mediation, and when they went to check during surgery, they found that the cancer had gone – it was described as a one in a million response. I just had an amazing response to it. Losing my long blonde hair was really upsetting though, but you just have to get on with it. It is all very difficult but you have no choice but to get on with the grueling treatment.

I decided to turn the most traumatic period of my life into a positive and committed to the climb without really taking into consideration my fitness levels! They had obviously dropped massively but thanks to the guys at Cardiff PT Studio I managed to get to 5150m before altitude sickness got the better of me – that’s higher than Mount Blanc! I never would have been able to have done it with out everyone at the studio – thanks for all the help and support, and keep up the good work!

Rachel Barlow-Maguire