IN HER OWN WORDS

YOU ARE ENOUGH. MY NAME IS KAREN CLARK

BY NICOLE HEROUX WILLIAMS I PHOTOS BY NSP STUDIO BY KAREN CLARK

If there is one thing that I have learned from life, it is that mental strength outweighs physical strength. Don’t get me wrong, physical strength is equally as important, however mental strength certainly helps drive one’s physical strength. in Women’s Bodybuilding and won my Pro Card Status. I will never forget the feeling of accomplishment I had when this happened. I had worked so hard to develop all that it took to achieve this. Following this, I continued to compete in shows and kept trying to improve my conditioning and overall physique. The 4 weeks following this discovery were filled with many doctor appointments, second opinions, and me just trying to get a grip on all of it. All 3 doctors opinions revealed the same options: 1) a Lumpectomy with 6-8 weeks of radiation or 2) a Mastectomy with possible radiation and chemo to follow.

My name is Karen Clark, and I have been an actively competing natural bodybuilder for the past 18 years. What started off as a venture to be physically fit has transformed into one of my greatest passions in life. Just before my 40th birthday, I decided to enter a bodybuilding competition for the very first time and have not looked back since! The feeling of accomplishment was addicting, and still is to this day. Along the way, it has also helped me deal with all the challenges that life has thrown my way. It helped instill in me the belief that I could achieve anything that I set my mind to.

My full-time job entails being the Comptroller for Lake Beverage Corp. I have been a part of the management team for 32 years now. This is a very demanding job, consisting of many long days and occasional hours on the weekend. Due to my work schedule, when I began training, I started my days at 4:30 AM to work out before I had to be at the office.

In my early competitive years, I would compete in bodybuilding competitions once or sometimes twice in a year. I was eager to try and win in my class and win the overall in a show. Finally, just before my 45th birthday, I was successful at doing this. I won the overall I felt as if I was in the best shape of my life. Just short of my 50th birthday, I was thrilled to be able to compete

alongside of my oldest daughter, who had developed a passion for this sport as well. It is such an amazing memory for me and one that I will always cherish. Unfortunately, just one month later I was diagnosed with the beginning stages of breast cancer. What was my second ever, routine mammogram, turned into a 4-hour visit and the unbelievable discovery that the “C” word was trying to invade my body. Shocked and in disbelief, I just could not comprehend what was happening. I will be the first to admit, the thought of radiation and chemo scared me more than anything. As a result, I very candidly asked my Oncologist….” What option would give me the least percent of re-occurrence?” I consider myself a one and done kind of person and wanted to attack it in that very fashion. I was willing to do whatever I needed to do so that my chances of getting it again were extremely low. It was a very personal decision, and probably extreme to many, but I opted for a double mastectomy. Even having decided to proceed in this fashion, I would have to wait 4-5 weeks after my surgery to learn if I still needed radiation. That would be decided from the testing done on my sentinel glands taken at the time of surgery.

My initial surgery was scheduled for January 7th, 2013. It was a lengthy surgery as they had to remove all the tissue and begin reconstruction. Metal expanders were placed inside of me which led to 3 months of weekly doctor visits and injections. Another surgery was scheduled for April to complete the reconstruction. The time in between these surgeries left me feeling very anxious, waiting for the results of the sentinel gland testing. I will admit, the phone call I received with the news that I did

“What started off as a venture to be physically fit has transformed into one of my greatest passions in life.”

not require any additional radiation or chemo brought me to my knees with tears of joy. It was at that very moment I knew I had made the right decision. It was nearly a year before I got back to the gym, training in the capacity I had been prior to having been diagnosed. It was a long road and I basically had to start over, but I am thrilled and grateful I had the opportunity to do this. I was determined to not let Cancer have the last say. Therefore, I set my sights on making it back to the stage. mental strength took over and dictated my physical. I never once believed I could not beat it! I kept believing…it was going to be OK!!

I am happy to say it has been 9 years since I was diagnosed. If I could be an advocate for anything in life, it would be that early detection is key. I am grateful that we acted so quickly and aggressively, and that because I was in the initial stages, I was afforded a happy ending to my story.

Almost 2 years after having been diagnosed, I made it back! I had prepped to get back on stage to compete again. I wanted it to be my best yet. Without even stepping on the stage, I realized I had already won. At that moment, I realized I beat it…that I showed cancer who had the last word. This brings me full circle to reiterating the fact that my I took a few years off from competing and just enjoyed my daily weightlifting regiment, before getting bit by the competition bug again. In June of 2021, I decided to give it another go and jumped back on the competitive stage with a group of teammates that I had been training with for the past year. Happy with the fact that I did much better than I expected, I qualified as a Pro for the USBF Championships in Burnsville, MN in November of 2021. Thrilled and excited to have the opportunity, I went and competed in my biggest and most competitive show to date.

I continue to live my life with bodybuilding as a driving force in my life. The flame continues to burn in my soul! I will continue to live this lifestyle for as long as possible, for it is one of my greatest passions. If I can say anything about my story, it is that you need to have faith and believe that anything is possible. Never doubt in your ability to overcome anything you put your mind to achieving. The body will achieve what the mind believes. I am forever grateful for the mental strength I have been given to have experienced all that I have.