who we are

Daughter, mother, wife, college professor: To this list of roles, Wendy added breast cancer survivor in 2006. Diagnosed with Stage I invasive ductal cancer and lobular carcinoma in situ, she underwent a bilateral mastectomy and began the process of reconstruction. While recovering from her surgeries, she did some reading in medical journals and there discovered the exciting new research on the benefits of exercise.

To help her deal with the physical and psychological effects of her diagnosis and to improve the chances of surviving her cancer, she hired a personal trainer. But she soon realized that many cancer survivors were not aware of the benefits of physical activity nor did they have the means to pay for a supervised training program.  As a consequence, they were not receiving the post-treatment care they needed to improve their well-being, physical function, and their odds of surviving cancer. Wendy started Survivors’ Training® to close the gap between the research findings and everyday reality for people living with a cancer diagnosis.

Wendy continues to teach and do research at the University of Minnesota and has become an ACE-certified personal trainer herself.