Moving forward by moving with exercise after breast cancer
How working out helped one woman reclaim health, confidence and purpose

Cancer took Jennifer Trettner's breasts, but she refused to let it take away what she loved most: exercise. Even when she was exhausted, even when she didn't feel like it, even when it was difficult, she found a way to move and wanted to motivate others to do the same.

"I've always been a person that never gave up," said Trettner of Wading River, N.Y. "I'm a competitive person, so I was not about to let cancer get the best of me. Just being someone who is competitive helps get you through some of the toughest days."

That didn't mean she always had energy to work out after cancer treatments or that she was able to do the workouts that she wanted at the same intensity as before she had cancer. Yet, for her, exercise was a way for her to take control of her body that the cancer made uncontrollable in most other ways.

"I was losing my hair," said Trettner. "I was gaining weight at the time from steroids. None of that was in my control. Continuing to exercise, doing something I loved and knew benefited me both physically and mentally, became my lifeline. During everything I was going through, it was the one thing I could control."

Diagnosis: The phone call finally came

Trettner struggled with her breast health since she was 26. She had a series of biopsies during the years and a partial lumpectomy. She was diagnosed in late 2021 with breast cancer when a mammogram showed a suspicious spot. She had a biopsy. Then she got a call on December 21.

"They asked me if I could please come into their office," said Trettner. "I figured, well, they're going to tell me to come in after Christmas because Christmas was next week. When I asked when they wanted me to come in, they said, could you come in within the hour? So, I knew it wasn't good."

She expected the diagnosis. She knew what would be said but didn't realize how she'd feel.

"Just hearing those words, 'You have cancer,'" said Trettner. "Everything after that is very scary."

At that point, the doctor at the breast center pulled out a box of pearls.

"They took out a pearl that was the size of my cancer," said Trettner. "My cancer was 10 millimeters. When I saw it as a pearl, I thought, 'Oh wow, that's not that scary.'"

Treatment and reconstruction: Choosing herself

In the new year, Trettner had a double mastectomy followed by chemotherapy and breast reconstruction.

"There are people who say, 'Oh, well, at least you get a boob job,'" said Trettner. "This is not what this is. A mastectomy is an amputation. Breasts are part of our bodies as females. I wanted to continue to feel more like me. I felt the reconstruction would help me to feel more like a woman and not like I lost part of me."

She already knew her breast reconstruction surgeon. She had worked with Kenneth Kneessy, MD, FACS, previously when she sought a breast reduction.

"It was emotional, very emotional," said Trettner. "The first thing he said to me was, 'I'm so sorry, Jennifer, you're going through this,' but he made me feel very, very comfortable and very safe. I felt like I was in really good hands and that I could trust him."

Dr. Kneessy knew Trettner was fit and active, so he helped her choose a reconstruction to match her healthy habits.

"She enjoyed exercising and led a very active lifestyle," said Dr. Kneessy. "We chose an implant-based reconstruction, which fit her lifestyle."

Trettner felt it was the right reconstruction that would allow her to continue the exercise routine she had before cancer.

"I worked out quite a bit prior to being diagnosed," said Trettner. "I took that into my diagnosis, into my treatment, and I continued to exercise for my mental health and physical health during that time."

Recovery: Rebuilding strength and purpose

The treatment, surgery and recovery were grueling and exhausting, but she knew exercise was a key component to making a full recovery.

"When I did my first workout, it was actually a walk with my mother and my mother was in her 70s," said Trettner. "We went outside to take a walk just in my neighborhood. I want to say it took 45 minutes for me to walk a half mile. I had to keep asking my mother to please slow down so that I could catch up with her. She was like, 'Jeni, I'm walking slow.'"

Trettner knew she would have to adjust her workouts to match both her fluctuating energy levels and limited range of motion while she recovered. That's when she realized there was a gap in exercise programs for women recovering from breast cancer.

"You have incisions, so there's a lot you can't do," said Trettner. "You have to be very mindful of anything that you lift because you don't realize how affected the areas around the chest are."

Her husband knew she loved doing barre workouts before her cancer diagnosis, so he built her a pink bar to have as part of a makeshift gym at home so she could continue doing the exercises she loved when she felt up to it.

"When I did go to the bar and start lifting my legs and arms, I was surprised at how heavy my limbs were," said Trettner. "I wasn't even using weights. I had to start from scratch to build up my endurance."

A new mission: Warrior Workouts

She found the Cancer Exercise Training Institute during her recovery and became a certified Cancer Exercise Specialist. Then she developed Warrior Workouts, which are modified for people recovering from breast cancer, though they can be helpful for people recovering from other types of cancer, too. She posted the workout videos on YouTube and Instagram.

"We take things slowly," said Trettner. "A typical first workout may just be marching in place. There may be people who can't stand up. They don't have that energy. So maybe we're sitting in our chairs, and it's me having patients lift their legs up and down and extending their legs out. I have to meet the patient's body where it's at."

Her workouts are designed to be short, low-impact and slow. She said the American Cancer Society recommends 30 minutes of exercise a day, five days a week.

"That doesn't mean that somebody who's just starting to work out after cancer recovery needs to start at 30 minutes in a row," said Trettner. "We can do 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the afternoon and 10 minutes in the evening."

She also rented studio space in Setauket, NY, and offered workout classes for cancer patients. For many, exercise often is a missing piece of recovery that can help with healing.

"The statistics are incredible for many different types of cancer, not just breast cancer," said Trettner. "Exercise helps reduce the risk of reoccurrence of cancer, reduces side effects from chemotherapy and helps us heal faster. I know I not only felt stronger physically, but definitely mentally. It helped me take back my power."

She then created cards demonstrating different exercises. Those cards went into mastectomy baskets from Positively Pink. Trettner was gifted one before her breast surgery.

"Those baskets include everything we need that we didn't know we needed for a mastectomy and recovery," said Trettner.

Her exercise pamphlets are also in Dr. Kneessy's office.

"It is nice to have a well-written, concise exercise program that has photos and shows women who have had breast reconstruction exactly how to do them," said Dr. Kneessy. "To have a simple exercise regimen makes it much easier for them. Patients are thrilled to have it and really take full advantage of it."

Giving back: Helping other women heal

Trettner also raised money for both the breast center she was diagnosed at, Fortunato Breast Center, and Positively Pink. Her first fundraising event featured a Long Island psychic who did readings. She also ran the Hamptons Half Marathon as a breast cancer survivor and divided her proceeds between the two organizations. The next fundraiser is in the works. She was tight-lipped about what the event will involve but said to expect at least one celebrity.

"It might include an Elvis impersonator," said Trettner.

At the beginning of her cancer journey, she thought cancer was scary until she saw it as a pearl. At the end, she found herself unexpectedly finding cancer to be a gift, much like a precious pearl.

"I can empathize with other women," said Trettner. "I can help other women through exercise or just talk or listen to their journeys. Because as much as we may have a strong support system, there are days when you do feel alone, and nobody should ever feel alone going through cancer. I hope through my workouts women find a little hope and encouragement, and it makes the journey a little less scary when they find a way to move their bodies."

Looking ahead: New position, painting, purpose

Cancer didn't only change her body. It also changed her perspective. She decided to leave a demanding job as the coordinator of an art department for a large school district on Long Island.

"If we're totally stressed out, we're hurting our bodies," said Trettner. "We can make ourselves sicker. Cancer can come back just from stress. I made the decision to step down from my position that I was in for 17 years and go back into the classroom."

A graphic artist by training and profession before becoming an art teacher, she also began painting in watercolors.

"I find them very soothing," said Trettner. "It's almost like meditating while I'm painting."

She plans to explore the United States with her husband in the coming years. She said having cancer truly made her realize the value of relationships.

"My husband and I have started camping and spending more time together," said Trettner. "I spend more time with my children when they are home. I wake up every morning and say my three gratitudes for the day and thank God for my waking up."

She wants others facing health challenges to know that courage when having cancer doesn't mean there is no fear. It means reaching out for help so the fear doesn't take over.

"I want women to know that we can get through this," said Trettner. "That there is a community of women ready to support you. You never had to face cancer alone."

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