LEE'S SUMMIT, MO — A Lee's Summit fitness community transformed their annual Thanksgiving charity workout into a heartwarming show of support for one of their own battling cancer.
Andrea McClain from Independence started working out at PickupUSA Fitness in Lee's Summit in May 2024. In May 2025, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to refocus her health goals.
After a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, McClain is in recovery and going through hormone therapy. Cancer is expensive and her journey isn't over, so McClain coach Kri Chay decided to change up their annual Thanksgiving charity workout to instead benefit Andrea and her family this year. Gym-goers donated to McClain via Venmo and cash.
"It was very evident that during my treatments, the workouts and the strength that I had built before that helped carry me through," McClain said. "But not just the physical workouts, it's the emotional and mental support just to see everybody here coming around supporting me. It's more than a gym. It really is a family."
The community response was overwhelming, with dozens of members showing up to support McClain and her family.
"We're a family here and I was telling them earlier too with Andrea and John and all these guys we had, I don't even know, 30-40 people show up today," Chay said.
McClain and her husband paused their gym membership during her recovery. They're hoping to return to fully working out at 6 a.m. starting in the new year.
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