Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Fox.
Hi Samantha, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Being diagnosed with Breast Cancer was never on my bucket list. There is nothing more heart stopping than hearing those three little words “you have cancer”. I was diagnosed with advanced stage IIIC Beast Cancer, with not very good odds of survival, In a moment I knew exactly what I was going do to. I chose traditional treatment, a bilateral mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. There aren’t a lot of things you can control during treatment but the one thing I knew I had control over was moving my body.
There were two chemotherapy drugs I took, the first four rounds attack soft tissue, the second four, attack bone marrow. The side effects of the second drug were the worst. Imagine have the flu times a hundred, I ached everywhere. The crazy thing was I couldn’t tolerate the pain while just sitting around but I could when I was moving, walks or riding my bike.
The first thing I needed to do was regain mobility and range of motion. Next was stretching addressing all of my issues. There were about 12 Mat Pilates exercises that I could do and I did them everyday, twice a day. It was pretty painful in the beginning but I was starting to see results, what a motivator to continue. I still do these exercises to this day.
After treatment you are basically told to have a nice life but without direction. There weren’t any recovery programs, so I created one for myself. The easiest thing to do was to walk. I plotted distances from my home remembering if I walked a mile it was a mile back. Due to the surgeries and treatments I had no balance. I pulled out my trek poles and used them as I would cross country ski poles. I started walking a block gradually increasing my distance. Those walks eventually became 3 mile runs.
Don’t tell my surgeon but the day after each surgery, and there were many, I would get on my bike trainer and ride. I wasn’t allowed to touch the handlebars so I sat upright. The first day I rode for 5 minutes and added 5 minutes each day. By the time I went back for my 6 weeks follow up I was riding for two hours and I was released tomorrow be able to train again.
I was increasing my range of motion but I still didn’t have much strength. I learned that STOTT Pilates had just released two DVD’s for Breast Cancer rehabilitation. I began doing the exercises and was seeing amazing results, my posture improved, I was able to stand upright.
My strength and stamina increased and I was more confident.
Due to complications from the radiation I had to have Latissimus Dorsi Flap surgery, the lat is removed from the back and repositioned on the chest to create a new blood supply. This was a year after my initial diagnosis and a week before Christmas. After the surgery I was told I would probably not be able to swim freestyle, ride a bike uphill or cross country ski, I was devastated. Five days later I was back on my bike. It would be months though before I would know if I could still swim. It was really important for me because had a been a s competitive swimmer from the age of 5 to 18.
In March I was allowed in the pool and swam 72 laps, 1 mile, and didn’t swim like Nemo. I immediately called my surgeon and told him I was going to do a triathlon. I registered for an Olympic distance triathlon in Hawaii, The Tin Man Triathlon, in July. I had only three months to train. I set a goal to finish in 3:30. I finished the triathlon in 3:20, I was back! The next day I returned home for my final implant exchange surgery.
I knew my life would be forever changed after being diagnosed with breast cancer and If I wasn’t going to be around long I was at least going to do something I loved and I had fallen in love with Pilates. Much to my husbands disappointment I did not return to Real Estate and work with him. Wanting to share what I had learned with others I moved to Toronto Canada that September and spent the next year training at the STOTT Pilates Corporate Headquarters to become a Certified Pilates Instructor.
Training was difficult as I was still bandaged and recovering from my most recent surgery.
I had been practicing Pilates for 4 years prior to my diagnosis but never any formal training though. The schedule was pretty intense, Mondays through Friday 9:00-3:00 and then a additional 2-3 hours practicing what we learned that day with my fellow classmates. Before I returned home to Utah I was hired as the Pilates instructor for the Montage Hotel Park City.
After being home for a while I decided I wanted to open my own studio. I found a small space, about 200 square feet in a gym. I purchased 4 reformers and set up shop. There was barely any room to move around the reformers but I made it work. One night while teaching there was a cross fit training going on on the other side of my wall. Medicine balls where being thrown at the wall, not exactly conducive for teaching Pilates, it was time to move.
My next studio was the other extreme, 1,800 sq. ft. I purchased more reformers, a Cadillac Trapeze Table, a Ladder Barrel and a Stability Chair. The spaces were decided by curtains. There was a space for group classes, a private room, a floating bamboo floor for teaching Barre, TRX, and mat Pilates, I even had a massage therapist.
I lived in Midway at the time and making the drive to Draper for five years was really getting challenging. After five years when my lease was up I moved my studio to Heber City. After having a small studio in my startup and a large studio I knew I wanted a smaller boutique style studio. I changed my business plan for private and semi-private sessions and specializing in a more unique and personalized Pilates experience.
I’ve been teaching for fourteen years now and I can’t imagine doing anything else.
It sounds crazy but I am forever grateful and humbled by my diagnosed with cancer because it lead me to my passion. It’s been seventeen years since being diagnosed with breast cancer and I am still here against all odds. Recently I heard three little words I never thought I would hear, “you are cured”.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was a bumpy road in the beginning. I was still dealing with my cancer recovery. Getting a loan to pay for my equipment which was about $75,000 was near impossible.
Also, with my training a new I could teach Pilates but I didn’t know how to run a Pilates studio. The business side was very challenging in the beginning.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Through my years of teaching I realized that I would always have clients coming to my studio that had some sort of injury or illness. I received special training in Injuries and Special Population as well a certificate as a Cancer Exercises Specialist.
I’ve also added other exercise modalities that I felt aligned with my Pilates practice, such as TRX, BOSU, and the Melt Method to name a few.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Grow up in Hawai’i and spending all my time outdoors enjoying everything the islands had to offer, swimming, surfing, sailing , paddling outrigger canoes the beach and the sunshine.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://foxpilates.net
- Instagram: @foxpilates2
