WEST DES MOINES, Iowa  —  There’s nothing quite like boxing to take out some aggression.

“This gives you the chance to just put it all out there,” says Tracy Bedford, a trainer at Title Boxing.

Bedford seems to have endless energy. In addition to teaching boxing, she runs marathons–but she hasn’t always been a ball of fire.

“I found out I had cancer in 2013 and I was shocked.”

During treatment, she rested and relaxed. When she went into remission and returned to the gym, she realized she was out of shape and up 30 pounds, which took a toll on her mental health.

“I ended up depressed and I didn’t realize I was depressed,” she said.

Bedford doesn’t want that to happen to others fighting cancer, so she has started a program at Title Boxing specifically for cancer patients.

“You know, cancer is scary. It’s not pretty,” says Bedford. “To be able to come in and take on that heavy bag gives you a sense of power.”

Bedford has been cancer-free for more than three years, but she says the end result isn’t the focus. It’s all about the journey.

“You might not be able to change the outcome, but this gives you that feeling of having control that you didn’t have before. You’re taking something back,” she said.

Bedford’s mother, who also battled cancer, didn’t make it. But Bedford says that fuels her passion.

“Every day I live my life in honor of her. Every day when I wake up I think, ‘how am I going to make this world better? What can I do to give back and to make those people proud that no longer get to live?'”