This October, in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in partnership with the American Cancer Society, we are honoured to share the story of Kristy Bibbey — a member of Club Pilates Old Town Scottsdale whose journey through diagnosis, treatment, and recovery became inseparable from her Pilates practice.

A diagnosis that changed everything

When Kristy was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2023, movement was the last thing on her mind. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation defined her calendar. The body she had spent years caring for suddenly felt foreign — exhausted, limited, and unfamiliar.

She had been a Club Pilates member for two years before her diagnosis. After surgery, she was told to wait several months before returning to any physical activity. When her oncologist gave her the green light, she wasn't sure what her body was capable of — or whether the studio she'd loved would still feel like hers.

"I was terrified to come back. I didn't know what I could do. I didn't know if I'd be treated differently. But my instructor Linda just said, 'Tell me where you are today, and we'll work from there.'"

The first class back

Kristy returned to her home studio with what she describes as "a completely different body and the same soul." Her range of motion was limited on her left side. Fatigue set in faster than it used to. But the Reformer, she says, met her exactly where she was.

The spring-based resistance that makes Reformer Pilates accessible to beginners proved equally valuable for her recovery. Her instructor adapted every movement — modifying the spring resistance, adjusting her position, never making her feel like a special case.

"The Reformer doesn't judge you. It just responds to where you are. That was exactly what I needed."

Building strength, rebuilding identity

Six months after returning, Kristy had regained full range of motion on her left side. Her endurance had come back — not to where it was before, she notes, but to somewhere she describes as "better, because I'm more present in my body than I've ever been."

What she didn't expect was what happened to her sense of self. The studio became a space where her diagnosis didn't define her — where she was simply a member working on her practice. The consistency of showing up three times a week gave her a rhythm when everything else in her life felt unpredictable.

A community that showed up

The front desk team at Club Pilates Old Town Scottsdale knew about Kristy's diagnosis. Not because she announced it — because she'd been coming for two years and they'd noticed she was gone. When she returned, they simply said they were glad to see her. That was enough.

She has since connected with two other members who are cancer survivors. They don't talk about it in class. They just practise together. That, she says, is the community that sustains her.

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