TAMPA, Fla. — As the month of October comes to a close, there’s a final push to raise funds to fight breast cancer at Mantra Fitness in Tampa. The annual effort to raise awareness of the disease and promote prevention hits close to home for the women behind it.
Kathy Covington opened her Sarasota studio in 2012. Jeannie Abreu loved the Pilates-based workout so much, she decided to open a studio of her own in Tampa, 9 years ago. Each year, the two ladies tap into their fitness community to raise funds to provide mammograms and other resources during Breast Cancer Awareness month.
“It just kind of really connected us in sharing a common purpose to helping other women and using our studio and Mantra as a catalyst,” explained Covington.
Both Covington and Abreu had strong family histories of breast cancer and opted to have genetic testing done. They both were positive for BRCA 1, a gene which, if mutated, can increase the risk of developing breast cancer.
They decided to control what they could, scheduling mastectomies and hysterectomies. “The two combined have really given me a lot of piece of mind and reduced my risks significantly," said Covington. “I’ve been able to take that weight off my shoulders and just move on with my life," Abreu added.
The women are now considered "previvors", a term that refers to anyone with an increased predisposition to cancer due to a risk running through their family. They want to pay that forward and help others take control of their health.
This year, they hope to raise $5,500 dollars to help other women with prevention efforts.