Survivor Fitness has always grown through relationships. Participants tell friends about the program. A former participant might encourage someone else to apply. Families share resources when someone they love receives a cancer diagnosis.
But sometimes, the connection comes full circle.
Angela Prichard and her father, John Coates, are both cancer survivors. They also both became Survivor Fitness participants in 2025, working with the same trainer, David Rogers, at A-Train Fitness. Angela started first. By the time she was finishing the program, she realized something: Survivor Fitness might be exactly what her dad needed, too.
So she encouraged him to apply. He did.
Cancer Journeys They Would Navigate Together
John was first diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014 and reached remission after treatment about a year later. Nearly a decade later, Angela received her own diagnosis of rectal cancer in 2023. She went through chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery before reaching remission the following year. While Angela was beginning physical therapy after her surgery, her father learned that his cancer had returned.
The roles shifted. Initially, John had supported Angela through her treatment, and now she was attending treatment with him. John successfully completed treatment again within the year.
For Angela, watching her father navigate cancer before her own diagnosis had given her a perspective she would eventually draw on herself. As she went through diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, she found herself thinking about what her dad had already faced.
“I think somehow it’s a little bit of a competition,” Angela says. “If he can do it, I can do it. And when I did it, he could do it again.”
Their journeys were different, but they found themselves facing the same difficult reality from opposite sides of the same family.
One Program. Two Very Different Starting Points.
Angela began Survivor Fitness in January 2025. As she neared the end of her 12 weeks, she realized her dad could benefit from the program, too. There was just one problem. John had never been a member of a gym. He didn’t own a pair of tennis shoes or gym clothes. He wasn’t someone who lived by his calendar or communicated through text messages. Still, he was willing to try.
Angela connected him with David, the same trainer who had worked with her, and what happened next surprised her.
“Survivor Fitness seemed to make the activity of working out accessible, and it challenged him,” Angela says. “I think it took the mystery out of it for him.”
She noticed the changes in small ways. John began stretching on his own. He became more open to fitness. He discovered that exercise was something he could do, even though it had never been part of his routine before.
Angela recognized the same transformation in herself. Working with David helped her rebuild strength, mobility, and confidence after treatment. For both of them, personalized training made exercise feel less intimidating and more achievable.
Growing Stronger, Together
Perhaps the most meaningful part of their Survivor Fitness experience has been what it has given their family. Between them, Angela and John have now navigated cancer three times. They have supported each other through diagnoses, treatment, uncertainty, and recovery.
“We have gone through some really rotten times and three times that we’ve come out on the other side,” Angela says. “We are literally stronger with Survivor Fitness in our lives!”
For Angela, that strength extends beyond what happens inside the gym. She has learned that families don’t need perfect answers when someone they love has cancer. They need to be present, listen, and stay flexible.
“It takes a village,” she says. She also believes it is important to remember that a cancer diagnosis does not erase the person underneath it.
“A cancer patient is also just a human, the human you know and love. Don’t forget that.”
Angela and John’s story is a powerful reminder that recovery does not always happen alone. Sometimes, it happens alongside the people who understand what you’ve been through because they’ve been there, too.
Find Your Way Forward with Survivor Fitness
Every cancer journey is different. So is every recovery. Survivor Fitness connects cancer survivors with personalized fitness training, nutrition coaching, and mental health resources designed to meet them where they are.
If you’re ready to take the next step, we’re here to help you find your way forward. You can learn more about our programs or apply today to connect with a trainer like David and take a step toward building your support network after cancer.
