Good Sports: Rhonda Murphy offering cancer recovery classes

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- For a person who has dedicated her life to helping others - fitness expert Rhonda Murphy has found herself overwhelmed by the community's support she's received since announcing her recent cancer diagnos.

"People from Merced, all the way to Visalia have called and wrote beautiful messages and have driven in to see me and just to say hi," she said.

Over the last 25+ years, Rhonda has motivated others to get in better shape with her Workout Wednesday segment on Action News.

But nothing could've prepared her for what doctors discovered just after the new year.

Rhonda learned she had an aggressive form of breast cancer that would require her to undergo chemotherapy right away.

"Right now, I'm a stage 1, grade 3, which is a fast-moving cancer but it's only in the breast right now, which I'm hoping that's what it stays," she said.

Doctors say the six rounds of chemo were successful -- and Rhonda celebrated the milestone by ringing the cancer bell at the hospital.

But the 57-year-old must now undergo surgery and radiation to clean out any floating cells that might still exist.

"I'm going to have a lumpectomy in a couple of weeks, and I think I got to wait a little bit longer after that to start radiation," Murphy said. "We're talking anywhere from 16 to 20 radiations and they're saying it's not going to be as bad as the chemo. I think the hard part is over."

Rhonda says she never felt any lumps or discomfort and is now urging everyone to visit their doctor regularly.

"Get your checkups, get the prostate checked, get your colonoscopy, get your mammograms because that saved my life," she said.

The energetic trainer has had to significantly scale back her workload because of her diagnosis but continues to give back to the community by offering cancer recovery classes free of charge thanks to a generous donation.

"We're going to do everything we can and as many people that want to get healthy and just feel better, and it doesn't matter male or female, it's just cancer recovery," she said.