Celebrity trainer thanks community for support during daughter’s cancer journey

Celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson praised his community for coming together for his family during a time of dire need.

Peterson revealed his five-year-old daughter, Monroe Cancer diagnosis In 2024 on social media, he was overwhelmed by the response of people around the world who wanted to help his little girl.

She is now in remission, and Peterson spoke about his daughter’s journey back to health after Monroe was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.

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Celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson spoke about his 5-year-old daughter’s journey with leukemia, which is now in remission, and how Solbasium red light therapy helped during her recovery. (Nicole Weingart/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images; Gunnar Peterson Instagram)

“Knock on wood, she’s calm,” Peterson said proudly during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. “She still has a port in her chest for injections every two months.

“She’s a soldier. Her hair is growing back. It’s not like that… I can’t say she’s there yet, but she doesn’t have any concerns about it, and she’s a thriving nursery.”

Peterson revealed the “life-changing twist” in his regular social media content in a filing Post May 2024 when he shared Monroe’s diagnosis with his 421,000 followers.

After Monroe began experiencing strange symptoms, Peterson and his wife, Janet, immediately sought medical help and took her to the hospital, where she underwent a number of procedures — including a spinal tap, chemotherapy and a bone marrow biopsy — before she was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia.

Gunnar Peterson shared that his daughter was diagnosed with cancer in 2024, when she was just 4 years old. (Gunnar Peterson Instagram)

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AML is defined by the American Cancer Society as a type of blood cancer that “begins in the bone marrow (the soft inner part of certain bones, where new blood cells are made), but often quickly spreads to the blood as well. It can sometimes spread to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, liver, spleen, central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), and testicles.”

“Please hold our daughter and our family – immediate and extended – in your hearts, thoughts and prayers,” he wrote at the time. “As we all know, you never know what someone is going through.” I already thank you so much, so I will distribute them as this comes up.”

the Fitness experts The call to action has been answered in a big way. He told Fox News Digital that his family was already living in Nashville, Tennessee, when “this hit us hard.” But he noted that “it worked” because his daughter was treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

“It was amazing for everything they could do for my daughter,” he said. “Then my wife works with a lady named Susan Johnson [research nurse and nurse practitioner at Vanderbilt]alternative medicine, intestinal cleansing, intestinal biome.”

“Don’t mess with Mama Bear, she looks at everything, all kinds of alternative approaches,” he noted.

WATCH: Gunnar Peterson praises ‘amazing network’ for helping his daughter after cancer diagnosis

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He also said his family was very lucky to have a “fantastic network” of people who reached out to them and offered to help.

“We all know there are a lot of bad people in the world, but I can also say there are a lot of really good people in the world, and the way people come together around a cause and for a cause, especially for a child, is just amazing,” Peterson said.

“And we had a lot of help from other institutions in Texas, New York, and California. We had people tapping into their connections to us, and we had direct communication from chiefs of pediatric oncology in different places.”

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He added, “I would encourage anyone who’s going through anything to reach out to whoever you have because people will come forward, and you’ll be surprised. And don’t sit there and think you’re alone, because, yes, there are times when you feel lonely, but you’re not alone. You’re not.”

Gunnar Peterson previously worked with David Beckham on a fitness project. (Alexandre Tamargo/Getty Images for F45 Training)

Peterson has worked with a number of stars, and once coached Nick Cannon in Park City, Utah. (Chris Weeks/WireImage)

“There are a lot of good people out there who can help, and the people aren’t necessarily who you think they are, it’s maybe people who are in your bubble, right? And they’ll say, ‘Hey, by the way, I have a friend who’s connected to this,’ and you’re like, ‘Do you have anything to do with this?’ And it’s wild.”

Now it’s clearer, Peterson praised his wife’s tenacity when it came to advocating for their daughter during the difficult medical journey.

Watch: Celebrity trainer says his daughter is in remission after cancer battle

“My wife made this point very well, and I think that’s what all mothers, fathers and caregivers do,” he said. “And you can’t do it without the staff at the hospital who flock to it. These people are special. Yes, they are impressive.”

Peterson uses some of his own training techniques when it comes to recovery, of course. The former director of strength and endurance for the Los Angeles Lakers, who has decades of experience, highlighted the unique benefits of exercise. Sulpacium red light therapy.

Solbasium’s red light therapy technology helps reduce inflammation, accelerate muscle recovery, improve skin healing, and support overall health.

“I’ll use them on my daughter. I’ll use them on my son… If his quads are tired from a game, and he has two games in a row in a soccer tournament, I’ll hit him with this. If he rolls his ankle, I’ll put this paw on him,” Peterson said as he held up the Sulpacium body pads.

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Peterson admitted he was emotional at first because “cancer stole a year” of Monroe’s life, but said his daughter is now talking about her journey, even though her young mind may not remember the events specifically.

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“Interestingly, she seemed to be referring to her photos more than the actual events, and people at the hospital said she probably wouldn’t remember this in two years,” Peterson said.

“Oh, I say, how is that possible?” They say: What do you remember when you were 4 years old? And I said, okay, but… we’ll remember that, but they said she probably wouldn’t get enough… It’s weird to me. How can you not remember what you just went through?”

Peterson added that although it may seem strange, and his daughter may not remember this experience when she grows up, he says, “We will endure it… The body heals and the mind heals as well.”