Ashton Parsons, 28, has faced more than her fair share of hardships.
Twice she's battled cancer-once as a baby and again as a teenager. The chemotherapy used to treat the neuroblastoma and the osteosarcoma have left her with a long list of chronic health problems.
Ashton, who graduated from Queen City, Texas, High School and now lives in Abilene, Texas, has severe sensorineural (high-frequency) hearing loss, growth-hormone deficiency, a variety of orthopedic problems, infertility, myoclonic seizures, a benign brain tumor and dental issues.
"I mainly just read lips. I've had a hip replacement on one side and bad osteoarthritis on the other from all the surgeries I had as a child on my hips and femurs, so that brings on flare-ups of pain. As for dental problems, most of my permanent teeth didn't develop. The ones that did do not have much root. They are all getting very loose now. Dentures aren't recommended for someone my age, and impants are crazy expensive. It's hard to face reality at 28. It doesn't feel fair, but that's just life," she said.
Fighting cancer at age 14 was a turning point in her life.
"I remember wondering why my roommate's Adrianycin pumping into her port looked like watery Koolaid, yet mine looked like fake cherry Halloween blood. That is how strong it was. It tasted like metal in my mouth when it pumped in my port. All I ate was a little bit of ice cream for the next four days, and every day, I threw it back up. I remember wondering how I had done it as a baby with neuroblastoma. I remember wondering how I was going to do this for the next nine months or so until the surgery," Parsons said.
The horrible effects of the treatment gave her a life-changing realization that's continued to shape her.
"It was the only time that I felt helpless, hopeless and scared. It was a harsh reality to face. The first round made me let go, because I realized how helpless I really was. I realized how I was at the hands of the same God that had laid mercy on me 13 years before and that if he wanted me to stay on Earth or not, either way it would be his plan and either way it would have to be fine with me.
"I surrendered and never looked back. I never felt helpless again. I never felt hopeless. I never doubted because I knew that none of it was in my power. I surrendered to my God, and he blessed me with his strength, a strength I could never match on my own," Parson said.
She beat the cancer, but it left its mark. The difficulties she lives with daily would be more than enough to make many people give up, but not Ashton.
Instead of letting the long list of hardships defeat her, she uses it as fuel to live her best life.
About three years ago, in spite of her challenges, Ashton decided to start working out.
"I got into working out by wanting a change," she said. "I was tired of always hurting. I was in a lot of pain and very drained mentally and physically from it. My right hip was hurting constantly. I was laying on a heating pad the majority of every day that I was home. I slept with it, and I also took it to work with me. Walking long distances or running was very painful for me, so I wanted to try lifting weights."
She and her husband joined Anytime Fitness in Wake Village, Texas, and got a personal trainer.
"I thought if I could strengthen the muscles around my hips, it might help, and it did," she said.
The progress didn't come easy. The first time she tried to do a body-weight lunge, she fell down, but her determination to improve produced results fairly quickly.
"I changed my eating habits, as well, choosing to eat less processed foods for the most part. That combined with lifting helped everything. My energy was better, and I still had pain, but more of it was from sore muscles than hurting joints.
"I can't really say it was hard for me to keep going after that, though. Lifting weights is empowering, and I fell in love with the grind," Ashton said. "The most obvious thing is that it helps me be in less pain, and I just feel better in general, but I also enjoy setting small goals and then smashing the crap out of those goals."
Ashton loves lifting weights so much that she eventually got involved in power lifting.
"It looked badass and challenging, and I love challenges. I already enjoyed lifting, and I like pushing the limits. It's a good fit for me," she said.
She considers it a bonus to surprise her doctors with the progress she's made.
"I really like shocking my orthopedic doctors with my lifting-when they see videos of their patient with a reconstructed pelvis and hip replacement squatting and deadlifting. It's nice to be someone who's pushing the limits and proving what can be done after those types of surgeries. I've had people message me who have had the same or very similar surgeries and tell me that I've given them hope, that I've made them realize they aren't as limited as they once thought. That's a wonderful feeling," Ashton said.
Ashton's story is so inspirational it's going nationwide. She will be featured on the April 21 episode of the NBC show Health + Happiness with the Mayo Clinic. Check local listings for times. During the show, Ashton will be interviewed by Joy Bauer about how she improved her health and fitness.
She hopes people will be able to take away something positive from her story.
"Play the cards you're dealt like it's the hand you wanted. Never give up on yourself. With any goal, pick a starting point. Take all the baby steps in the world, but don't quit. You're stronger than you think and braver than you believe," she said.
She should know. She's living proof.