October 1 - October 14, 2019
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Family uses the power of lifting, and uplifting Ken and Clay Tawzer want women to get screened early for breast cancer By Brian Stanley Contributing Writer
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owerlifting world champions Ken and Clay Tawzer are coming out of retirement, and this time they are lifting for more than championships and world
records. The father-son combo from Los Alamos are returning to lifting to raise awareness for breast cancer screenings in honor of Ken’s wife, Mary Tawzer, who is undergoing treatment for her third diagnosis of breast cancer. “I’m very, very proud of them and honored they do this for me and other women,” Mary said. Mary, 63, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in early 2018 after being admitted to Marian Regional Medical Center with pneumonia. “While I was there, they did a CT scan, they wanted to look at my lungs, and they saw a mass,” Mary said. After further examination, it was determined that Mary’s breast cancer had returned, this time spreading to her liver, stomach and lymph nodes. “I’m always thinking I’m going to lose her,” Ken said. “I’ve just recently gotten to the point where I can talk about it without crying.” Married to Mary for 41 years, Ken decided to return to powerlifting to use his performances as a platform to encourage women to get screened for breast cancer. “I don’t want to see another family go through what we are going through or another woman go through what (Mary) has to go through, because it’s just unbelievable,” said Ken, a seven-time world champion. Despite being Mary’s support since her first breast cancer diagnosis in 1997, Ken was overcome with emotions recently while working as a painter. He dropped to his knees in tears when the song “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous
Photos by Brian Stanley The Tawzer family — from left, Clay, Mary and Ken — gathers in the family gym.
Clay Tawzer, spotted by his father and some friends, works on the bench press.
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For the first time since cancer forced her to retire from competition, Mary Tawzer lifts the 45-pound bench-press bar while her son Clay Tawzer spots the lift.
Brothers came on the radio. “(Clay) had to pick me up. That’s what you go through as family, because I could end up losing her. I don’t want to lose her,” Ken said. “She’s my best friend (first) and my wife second.” Mary recently began a new chemotherapy treatment at Mission Hope Cancer Center in Santa Maria. The new treatment uses the chemotherapy medicine Kadcyla. “It’s supposed to really get in there and do its job, get in there and kill the cells. What is nice about it is that (the treatment) just kills the cancers cells, it doesn’t kill the good cells,” Mary said. “I’ve made it twice now. I intend to make it through this one. I’m not giving up.” After years away from powerlifting competition, Ken and Clay returned to training last year inside the family’s red and white barn, which is part weightlifting gym and part horse barn, on LIFTING CONTINUED TO PAGE 28
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