WAUKESHA — One Waukesha woman is making it her mission to encourage others through the power of working out. After learning about her family's extensive health history and tackling her own hurdles, Carey Tump opens up about her journey and how she hopes to empower other women.
Loud music, women jumping from station to station, and a lot of high-fives and positive encouragement. That's the vibe you get the minute you walk into Burn Bootcamp Waukesha and Burn Bootcamp Sussex.
"Our goal was to open up a space for women to pour out whatever they were going through, and that's what Burn Waukesha was built on," Carey Tump said.
Tump's the co-owner of Burn Bootcamp Waukesha and Sussex.
The positive energy she radiates during her classes and drive for empowering others hasn't always been Tump's main focus.
"My family carries the BRCA mutation, and I've known that since I was 28 years old," Tump explained.
Tump told TMJ4 that when she was in her 20s, a family member reached out to her, recommending she get tested for that genetic mutation. That family member then told Tump several others in their bloodline had died because the gene turned into an aggressive form of cancer.
More than a decade ago, Tump tested positive for the BRCA2 mutation, which put her at extreme risk for several types of cancer including breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancer. It's something that hits very close to home for her.
"My dad is like the older version of me in male form. He was my soccer coach my whole life, my biggest cheerleader," Tump said.
Because of their known family genes, Tump said her father was regularly having his pancreas checked for cancer.
In 2018, she said he started having a lot of pain in his back and doctors completely missed his pancreas.
"July 13th, it was a Friday, he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer and died three weeks later," Tump explained.
Tump said during that three-week period, she and her brother were her dad's primary care providers.
"It was a really dark time for me," Tump admitted.
After her dad's death, Tump said she quit her corporate job with no clear future ahead. She said for months she was barely able to get out of bed, until one day, a social media post piqued her interest.
"Somebody on social media had posted a picture of herself jumping over a hurdle, and I saw it and said 'I'm gonna jump over that hurdle. I'm gonna get out of bed and jump over that hurdle'," Tump said.
For months, Tump went to the 5:30 a.m. Burn Bootcamp class daily. She said she put her hat on, had her head down, did the workout and left.
"There was something about the community, the messaging, the music," she said.
All of this kept her coming back. One day, Tump's husband pushed her to go to an event Burn was holding outside of its typical boot camp class. There, she met Karen Pederson, a woman who Tump said helped bring her to the place she's at now.
Six months after meeting, Tump and Pederson opened their own Burn Bootcamp.
"We're like, we gotta do this for more women," Tump said.
Now, Tump and Pederson co-own Burn Bootcamp Waukesha where being strong, exceeding expectations and embracing powerful women drips all over the interior walls. It's messaging Tump and Pederson both took to heart and something they extend to their members, a majority of whom are women.
"Those emotional things that women are going through that they feel like they can't talk about, they feel alone with, but one thing they know they can do is come to a place where they're supported, celebrated and not judged," Tump added.
This past year, Tump overcame one of her biggest health hurdles yet, a double mastectomy.
"I didn't want that, but I knew I had to do it," she said.
A step Tump said she couldn't have taken without the support of her family and Burn.
"I've taken my breast cancer risk off the table, which is, I don't think I've fully just had a moment with that," Tump continued.
Now, she and Pederson use Burn as a safe space to encourage women to take control of their health and bodies.
"If you know you're ready to make a change and not sure how it will look, find yourself a community, find yourself a way to say yes to yourself, and just try, and see where it takes you," Tump said.
When Tump was first diagnosed with having the BRCA2 mutation she said she found Bright Pink a helpful community and resource.
To learn more about Burn Bootcamp Waukesha, click here.
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