When Peg Burgess was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2022, her treatment plan included an eight-hour surgery and multiple rounds of chemotherapy treatment. After several months of treatment, her body was at its weakest.
“When I got out of the hospital after each round of chemo, I couldn’t walk more than five steps,” Burgess, 70, recalls. “I wanted to do something to feel strong, and I decided I wasn’t going to let cancer run my life.”
In October 2024 — after hearing she was in remission and would likely be for at least 15 more months — she decided it was time to rebuild her strength, so she signed up for an Intro to Dynamic Personal Training session at Life Time MetroWest-Boston in Framingham, Mass. It’s made all the difference. Exercise has helped Burgess not only regain strength and continue to fight her disease, but it’s also lead her to a close friendship that’s a vital part of her support system.
Determination Makes the Difference
Burgess’s determination stood out to Ronald Drago, Dynamic Personal Trainer at Life Time MetroWest-Boston, who met Burgess in that introductory session. “Right off the bat, I noticed that even though she was unfamiliar with weight training, she was a high-effort performer,” he says. “She puts 100 percent into every single rep and set. I’ve never worked with someone who works quite as hard as Peg — and I’ve been doing this for over two decades.”
“Before my diagnosis, I had previously worked with a number of personal trainers, but I would go for a month and then stop,” Burgess explains. “But with Ron, I immediately felt comfortable during that first session. It had been so long since I last worked out, just moving my body felt amazing, and it got better every time.”
Burgess’s motivation was inspiring for Drago from the get-go, but as they worked together and he learned more about what she was dealing with, it became even more extraordinary. When her cancer returned in February 2025 and she had to begin treatment again, their partnership became even stronger.
“I decided to stay with it because it made such a difference in my life,” she says. “Every day I come into the club, and I can do something I couldn’t before on the workout floor. And over time, even everyday activities are just easier for me.”
Strength Found in Showing Up
Drago and Burgess continued training together three to four times a week. While their original goal was to build Burgess’s resilience to withstand treatment, she also discovered a love of strength training and developed a wonderful friendship with Drago.
“I get disappointed if I’m not sore after a workout,” she laughs. “It’s not work for me, it’s a delight. Ron and I have become very good friends. We have a lot of fun.”
Although there are plenty of times when Burgess doesn’t feel great, she never gives up. Immediately following an infusion is when patients often feel their sickest, and there are times when she can’t make it to the club. So Drago goes to her house, and they continue to work together until she feels strong enough to come back to Life Time.
“Peg has a unique quality in that she pushes every rep to the max,” says Drago. “Even if the volume needs to be adjusted, the level of intensity is always high, even when she’s not feeling great.”
As Burgess has continued with cancer treatment, she’s become a bright light for other members at Life Time MetroWest-Boston who are awestruck at her journey and success. “I’ve talked to other members who have undergone cancer treatment, and they’re in disbelief that Peg is able to work out four to five days a week while going through it,” Drago says.
Burgess admits that she’s not out of the woods yet, but the plan to strengthen her body is working — and so is her treatment. While there’s no end-date set for her infusions, she’s had positive visits with her doctors who are encouraged with her progress; they see a path to reducing the treatment load in the future.
She’s also feeling less sick after each chemo session and seeing muscle in places that she never has before. “You can definitely see how Peg’s muscle mass has increased, and every time she finds a new muscle, she’ll show it to you,” Drago laughs. “I was watching her train one day and I said to myself, She doesn’t appear to be someone who’s getting sicker. The good days outweigh the bad now.”
The Force of Friendship
Drago and Burgess’s friendship is clear to anyone who sees them training together, but especially to Mark Airoldi, personal training leader at Life Time MetroWest-Boston.
“Ron is a hard-nosed ex-Marine, and to see the degree of love and care he has for Peg is inspiring,” says Airoldi. “I’ve seen Ron transform as a person since they met. The fact that he has shown that degree of care has inspired our entire team. It puts into perspective what we do and why we do it. To say it’s been powerful wouldn’t do it justice.”
Burgess can attest. “Working with Ron and strength training has made such a difference in my life. I’ll never do strength training without Ron. He’s my absolute favorite, and I adore him. I feel like he’s saving my life.”
The adoration is mutual. “I feel that I’ve learned as much from Peg as she’s learned from me,” Ron says. “It’s helped me become a better trainer. We laugh a lot. We try to make the best out of the situation. I have someone who I feel will be in my life as long as we can.”
