Katelyn Spalding survived a life-threatening surgery and thrived

After surviving life-threatening surgery, Katelyn Spalding’s new passion for fitness paved her road to recovery.

During my junior and senior years of high school I was very sick. Doctors thought they’d found a tumor on the right side of my stomach, but it actually turned out to be my twin sister, who hadn’t developed fully.

At that point I couldn’t put on weight at all and became nothing but skin and bones. And when I was able to go to school, kids would bully me.

Soon afterwards I went into surgery weighing 80lb but came out weighing just 68lb. After everything I’d been through I knew I never wanted to go down that road again and I realized I had to take care of my body better. My life has taken a 180º turn since I stared death in the eyes and laughed.

The transformation

When I first started my transformation I was just running in the woods every day, but then I joined a gym. I spent hours on Bodybuilding.com reading about lifting but I was so terrified of the weights I would go to the gym at 2am, when no one else was around. As I taught myself how to work with weights I became confident enough to work out in the daytime.

I then wanted to start competing, so that’s when I hooked up with Brian Strock and his wife Stephanie. They took me under their wings, helping me with everything from training to posing. Thanks to them I was able to go on stage and place fourth in my first competition.

I had days where I was just tired and frustrated and had no interest in going to the gym. But I would have flashbacks of being in that hospital bed and I would remember the reason why I was there. I’m now living life for two since my twin sister did not get a chance at life like me. That was all the motivation I needed.

I went into this journey on my own, starting from nothing and knowing nothing. But look at me now – I haven’t even been lifting for a full year and I’ve already had one competition and finished fourth. Never say it’s impossible. The person you see in the mirror will provide you your greatest challenge in life. Look at yourself and say: “I’m possible.” Your ambition is your weaponry!

Find transformation stories and more in every issue of TRAIN for HER magazine.