I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 34 years old shortly after my baby’s first birthday. I knew I had to not just survive this disease, but be as functional as possible for my baby boy, both during and after treatment.

As a Physical Therapist I knew rehab would be an important aspect of recovering from the grueling chemo, radiation, surgeries, and medications; I also knew how difficult it would be to get to rehab appointments between cancer treatment and caring for a toddler. So I created exercise programs for myself for each stage of treatment. This allowed me to rehab myself from home (with the help of in person OT appointments as needed), and transition back into more normal exercise routines in a safe and effective way after active treatment.

I saw firsthand how much exercise, movement, and education helped me through treatment and recovery; and also how often these aspects are overlooked. Our doctors are excellent at providing the treatments needed to save our lives, but unfortunately they don’t always have the time to focus on our function and quality of life.

This inspired me to pursue my PORi breast cancer therapist certification and start Pink Badger to make this information widely available and accessible. Because everyone going through breast cancer treatment deserves to have the tools to optimize their quality of life.