Nonprofit helps breast cancer survivors make fitness part of their recovery

A nonprofit run by a Superior woman makes sure that breast cancer survivors can make fitness part of their recovery journey.

Lindsey Marcelli started Compete for a Cure, which raises money through CrossFit competitions, to give grants to both survivors and gyms.

“Our goal is to just meet the survivor where they’re at and make sure they can thrive,” she said.

Heather Souders of Poplar had her membership to CrossFit Shipwreck in Superior paid for.

“Having the double mastectomy, gaining weight, you just don’t feel good about yourself at all,” she said.

She was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in 2018. Souders’ aunt had died from breast cancer, so she was doing regular self-checks when she found a lump. Her husband was deployed at the time, so she didn’t tell him right away. She went in to have it checked, and her doctor scheduled a mammogram. After that, they sent her for an ultrasound, then a biopsy, all in one day.

“And then two days later, they called and said that yeah, I had triple negative breast cancer,” she said.

The Air Force got her husband home quickly, and she started chemo within a week. In 2019, she also had a double mastectomy and a total hysterectomy. Since then, she’s been cancer-free.

“Before I had breast cancer, I was super active,5 always been into fitness,” she said. And then during my treatment and stuff, of course it makes you super tired, so I wasn’t very active.”

But she was ready to make a change and heard that CrossFit Shipwreck had just opened up. That’s how she connected with Compete for a Cure, and both she and the gym got grants.

“That helped us provide equipment to help Heather out,” CrossFit Shipwreck owner Kyle Achman said. “We also were able to get a lot of education, free education online, which has helped a lot as well.”

Compete for a Cure has an online course called Breast Cancer Basics.

“All their coaches, as soon as they knew that we had that course out, took it right away, printed out certificates, helped Heather,” Marcelli said.

Heather’s found what so many other survivors have: that she’s not broken, and her body can do hard things.