In the 2012 Open, Ashley Carriveau won the Northern California Region. That same year she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.

It was a time she has mostly blocked from memory.

“It was awful. (My husband and I) were both in tears for a while. It was just devastating,” says the CrossFit San Jose athlete.

After extensive surgery, Carriveau set her mind on qualifying for the CrossFit Games, but she wasn’t the same athlete she was during the 2012 Open.

“I was starting from ground zero, where everyone else was miles and miles ahead of me,” explains the 29-year-old. “So I just knew I had to do that much more to get to where they were.”

She knew she wouldn’t make progress by feeling sorry for herself, and her perseverance paid off: she finished second in the hotly contested Northern California Regional.

“The Games is my ultimate goal. I made it, and so now we need to focus in on my weaknesses and keep up the volume and just move on and work toward doing well at the Games,” Carriveau says.

Video by Jay Vera.