• Cassandra Burke, 54, became a personal trainer and registered dietitian after having breast cancer. • Burke, who has participated in nearly 80 races, shared her best nutrition advice. • She broke the classic American breakfast rules to get more nutrients into her diet.

At 38, Cassandra Burke was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer after she felt a shooting pain in her right breast.

She'd caught it early, but it was no easy ride. She underwent a grueling treatment protocol: a lumpectomy, a year of chemotherapy, 33 days of radiation, skin grafting (to fix dead tissue from her lumpectomy), and a precautionary hysterectomy (her aunt was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer).

"My treatment was pretty aggressive, so it really did take a toll on me," Burke, 54, told Business Insider. "

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