SAN ANTONIO — Dana Guillory served 22 years in the Army. During her time in the military, she sustained a severe spinal injury that left her with permanent damage. Guillory said doctors predicted that she would not be able to walk on her own.
“I've had a multitude of surgeries to rebuild some of my spine and to hold everything together. I've had a lot of implants into my lower lumbar spine so that I can stand, walk and move my legs and even feel my feet,” she said.
As Guillory was about to retire from the Army, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Then she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She shared how her loved ones were a solid support but she said she also tapped into her inner strength to keep moving forward. Guillory said she was abused as a child in the foster system.
“I had a very bad childhood and it made me strong. It made me want to prove people wrong. I did deserve to be alive. I did deserve to be successful. I did have what it takes to push through,” she said. “'I can't, I won't, I will never,' those words just don't sit well with me.”
Guillory is not only a twice cancer survivor, but she has transformed into a bodybuilder. She began training in January 2018 and has already earned four trophies.
“It's an amazing feeling to say: 'Ha! I proved you wrong. I did do this.' But it's also very humbling, because the human body is an amazing vessel,” she said. “I want to prove to other people that whether you have disabilities, whether you're totally able-bodied, whether you have the disabilities that are physical or mental, it doesn't matter. Set your goals and go for it.”
Guillory is competing for a chance to be featured in the Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine. She's made it past the second rounad. There are a total of five rounds. Click here to vote for her.