SHERMAN, TX - A Sherman woman who fought back against breast cancer is telling her inspirational story of survival, hoping to save the lives of other women, but this survivor says recovery isn't always the end of the battle.

Those who know 45 year old Gretchen Huff say she's always been the picture of health, but a little over a year ago she faced life threatening news.

"I was in complete shock, I think it's very easy to look at it as why me?" said Huff.

Two months after a routine mammogram Huff was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"When I did get the results back I was still shocked because you don't think, I mean I was very healthy, I worked out, always been very physically active, healthy eating." Huff said.

She quickly scheduled a double mastectomy to keep the cancer from coming back, but she says it was her family she was concerned for.

"It's frightening and scary and you just think that people die from cancer, and so I think it was very hard for them." said Huff.

What was even harder than the recovery was the depression Huff faced when the reality sunk in.

"It was really hard, I mean feelings of just, I was exhausted, I mean I couldn't remember some days, the year, the month, I was just emotionally drained." Huff said.

So just 3 weeks after surgery, she decided to hit the gym.

"She told me she said, that is what got me out of bed, you know coming back to bootcamp, it gave me life." said Melinda Peacock.

Crossfit bootcamp coach, Melinda Peacock, says Huff's come back was impressive.

"She jumped back in a lot faster than she thought she was going to, and she gained her strength back, and you could just see it in her face she was fighting, she was fighting hard." Peacock said.

"I feel blessed that I had options, because so many people don't have options.The whole time I kept thinking it could've been so much worse that I had so much to be thankful for." Huff said.

Not only was she thankful for her life but for the friends who stood by her, bringing her food, even washing her hair when she couldn't lift her arms.

"She just, she inspired me because she's just such a fighter and she's having such a positive outlook." said friend, Kristina Mazzant Thorpe.

"God forbid, that I ever came down with breast cancer, I would want her by my side, because she could help me through it, and she's amazing." said friend, Sandy Kyle.

Now a little more than a year later, Huff says she feels stronger and more fit emotionally and physically than ever before.

"I didn't really look at it so much as why me, you know this is a journey, an unexpected journey that I'm taking in life, I'm thankful that I'm alive, and I'm thankful that my cancer was diagnosed early enough through a routine mammogram." said Huff.