Brandon Pechloff

 

I’ve been following you on twitter for a long time and have been looking for an opportunity to share my story with you. A year ago August I was diagnosed with cancer and had to choose between playing my senior year of college baseball at Nebraska or surgery to have it removed.

 

I knew if I ignored it I would be in prime position to dominate my final year, but the cancer would spread too quickly and I wouldn’t make it to the end of the year. I took my chance and elected for surgery. When I came back my body wasn’t ready and I was sent home. Since then I have found your program and it has given me a new physical challenge. Being 6’8″ squats have never been easy, I’ve always had knee and hip problems. Your program has pushed me beyond what I felt I was capable of. 

 

Since then my cancer has come back. I’ve been in chemotherapy for 3 months now. My regiment is 5 days a week for 6 hours a day every 3 weeks. On weekends I’m so tired I can’t even walk up stairs, but I haven’t missed a day. Yes my strength has suffered, but that’s to be expected. Even when I’m tired I still get under the bar and push myself everyday because that’s what you would do right? Everyone is dealt a bad card from time to time, but it’s how you look at it. I look at it as I’ll never have to deal with this again after this next round that starts tomorrow the 30th. Cancer has seemingly taken everything from me, my health, my appearance, and my sport but it hasn’t taken away my heart and fight. My mind might be weaker with all the red cells being killed, but like you’ve shown through your programs that the only limits are the ones you set yourself. I hope you know how much your drive and determination means to people like me, and how your program gives me strength and confidence when people walk by me at the squat rack still pushing up 315. Even though it hurts to breathe and exhausts me to think, I wouldn’t be where I am without the concept you’ve instilled in my mind to push myself everyday. To be the person everyone wants to be, you have to be willing to do the things people aren’t willing to do. 

 

I hope this is a story you draw strength from the way I’ve drawn strength from you. 

 

Thank you,

Brandon Pechloff