Beating the Odds: Mary Simpson tackling triathlons after her battle with breast cancer

Exercise helped Mary Simpson of Newman Lake gain control over her body after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002.

She started small, working on her strength and balance. Then she did Bloomsday. And a year ago, she completed her first triathlon – a quarter-mile swim, 12-mile bike ride and 3-mile run.

There’s no stopping her now.

Simpson, who was profiled a year ago, is still swimming, biking and running. She’s planning on doing another triathlon this fall. (She was scheduled to compete in a recent triathlon in Chelan, Wash., but the event was canceled.)

“I do still have balance issues and may always,” says Simpson, who still teaches piano at Holy Names Music Center and works as a microbiologist at Kootenai Medical Center. “My bone density is better. I lost 10 pounds … My checkups are good.”

But, she says, “I have a really good chance of recurrence.” She knows exercise will boost her odds of staying healthy.

Plus, she says of her new passion, “I’ve decided I like doing this kind of thing.”