In June 2016, my dad was diagnosed with breast cancer (yep, men can get it too) and discovered he had the BRCA2 (breast cancer gene) mutation. There's a 50% chance the gene gets passed on to children and, as luck would have it, both my sister and I tested positive. As part of the initial screening for the gene mutation, they discovered that I actually already had breast cancer. As a result, I underwent a double mastectomy in 2017. After that surgery, I told myself I'd never take my physical health for granted and would continue to push my body in new ways. What better physical challenge than getting punched in the face in front of 2,000 people? 

1 in 3 people receive a cancer diagnosis and very few are lucky enough to catch it as early as I did. In 2017, it was estimated that over 40,000 men and women would lose their lives to breast cancer. For me, I only lost a couple of months. So why do I fight? Because I can, while so many others can't.