As a member of this team, we are each playing a part in helping Susan G. Komen® in their  mission to end breast cancer forever.

The money our team raises will fund research to discover more effective treatments, as well as vital patient support to help connect people with things like breast cancer education & information, emotional support, patient navigation, financial assistance and so much more.

Ending breast cancer needs all of us. United together, we can support those who need help today, while fearlessly searching for tomorrow's cures.

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Team Captain: Talena Mackey Story

For most of my life, being active has been a part of who I am. In school I played basketball, ran track, competed at the state level, broke records, and have always enjoyed fitness — later in life whether it was boot camps, cycling, or simply finding ways to challenge myself physically.

Like many people, though, life happened. I gained weight and eventually reached a point where I decided it was time to get serious about my health again.

That decision led me back to fitness and to ShackFitness.

As I began attending ShackCamp and working toward my health and weight-loss goals, the weight started coming off. Part of my routine also included walking my dog about a mile before work while wearing a weighted vest.

One day after my walk, I took off the vest and noticed that my left breast was hurting.

At the same time, I was overdue for a mammogram. My appointments had been rescheduled because of problems with the mammography equipment, and if you know me, you know that once I get frustrated enough, I can easily get to the point of saying, “Forget it.”

Thankfully, my sister D’Arii wasn’t going to let me forget it. She kept encouraging me to get the mammogram done, even if that meant going somewhere else.

Between her persistence and the pain I had started noticing in my breast, I followed up with my healthcare provider.

The mammogram led to additional imaging, an ultrasound, and ultimately a biopsy.

On July 22, 2026, I learned that I had breast cancer in my left breast.

Suddenly, the health journey I had started to lose weight had become about something much bigger.

I was given surgical options, including a lumpectomy and mastectomy. After considering those options, my family history, my peace of mind, and what I wanted my life after cancer to look like, I chose to have a double mastectomy.

After unexpectedly losing my mother, and after watching her deal with her own health issues and concerns over the years, I had already experienced how quickly health can change and how much uncertainty can weigh on a family. I had also witnessed the effects cancer had on my father. Those experiences stayed with me as I made decisions about my own care.

I knew I did not want to live with the constant worry of what might show up on another scan or whether cancer could eventually develop in my other breast. For me, removing both breasts was the decision that gave me the greatest peace moving forward.

Thankfully, my surgery was successful. No cancer was found in my lymph nodes, and because my cancer was caught early, I do not need chemotherapy or radiation. I will take medication for approximately five years, and I am incredibly grateful for that outcome.

My journey isn’t over yet.

In December, I am scheduled for breast reconstruction using tissue from my abdomen. It will be another major surgery with a longer recovery, but I’m looking forward to continuing to heal, getting stronger, and moving into the next chapter.

And that brings me back to ShackFitness.

I truly believe starting that fitness journey helped save my life.

If I hadn’t decided to get healthier, if I hadn’t started losing weight, and if I hadn’t been walking Max in that weighted vest, I don’t know when I would have noticed that something didn’t feel right.

Getting active again made me pay attention to my body.

That pain helped push me to follow through with a mammogram that I might otherwise have continued putting off.

And that mammogram found my cancer.

So when you see the words “ShackFitness Saved My Life” on the back of my shirt, they aren’t just a slogan.

They are part of my story.

Another huge part of my story is my family.

My sisters and cousins have been some of my biggest support throughout this experience, and my two sons have been right there with me too. Amare and Akell were very attentive and involved in what was happening from the moment I told them. They listened closely when I shared what the doctors were telling me, asked questions, paid attention to the details, and took time to educate themselves about what I was going through.

Knowing that they were not just physically present, but truly paying attention and trying to understand what was happening, meant more to me than I can explain.

My family has meant everything to me during this time. I honestly believe my recovery would have been much more difficult without them.

This journey has taught me that it truly takes a village, and that no matter what you are going through, you have to try to stay as positive as you can.

Being a New Survivor means something very specific to me. I am newly diagnosed, but I am also still recovering and still fighting.

That is one of the reasons participating in the Susan G. Komen MORE THAN PINK Walk means so much to me. It reminds me that there are other women just like me — women who are fighting, healing, recovering, and finding their way through this journey too.

Today, I walk as a New Survivor.

I walk for myself.

I walk for the village that has carried me.

I walk for my sons, my sisters, my cousins, and everyone who has stood beside me.

I walk for the women still fighting and recovering.

I walk in memory of those we have lost.

And I walk hoping my story reminds another woman to listen to her body, advocate for herself, and not put off that appointment.

This wasn’t the health journey I thought I was starting.

But I am incredibly grateful that I started it.