You Don’t Have to Go Through This Alone.
Rebuild your strength. Regain confidence. Find a community that understands.
LIVESTRONG at the YMCA is fully funded by donors to engage cancer survivors through an approach that focuses on the whole person – mind and body.
Through this program participants work with trained Y staff to improve endurance and functional ability, build muscle mass and strength, and increase flexibility. In addition to physical benefits, the program also focuses on the mental and emotional well-being of survivors and their families. This creates a supportive community environment where people affected by cancer can connect during treatment and beyond.
By focusing on health, rather than the disease, LIVESTRONG at the YMCA of the Iowa Mississippi Valley has helped over 500 cancer survivors move beyond illness to reclaim their wellness in both spirit, mind and body. This is about getting back to the things that matter most: carrying your groceries with greater ease, climb stairs with more confidence, have more energy for everyday life, improving balance and mobility, and feeling stronger physically and emotionally.
Livestrong at the YMCA is a free 12-week program. Living with cancer is stressful and difficult enough, and the YMCA and our donors want to ensure everyone can participate and don’t have to worry about the cost.
“Livestrong creates a social environment where cancer warriors can talk openly, and on a level that most do not understand.
We do not hold pity parties, but instead motivate and push one another.”
Join one of our upcoming sessions!
SESSION DATES
Fall: September 1-November 19
SESSION SCHEDULES
- Bittner YMCA: Tues/Thur from 10am-11:15am
- Utica Ridge YMCA: Tues/Thurs from 5:15pm-6:30pm.
- North YMCA: Mon/Wed from 9:30am-10:45am
Would you like to learn more about our sessions? Click Here to fill out this contact form and we would love to get in touch with you!
Find the Support You Need
In our LiveStrong program, our sessions are structured to provide individual support and track your progress so you can see your improvement in real time. It’s led by YMCA-certified instructors, and includes:
- Strength and cardiovascular conditioning
- Balance and flexibility
- Pre- and post-program assessments
- Two 75-minute sessions each week
Testimonials
A First-Person Livestrong Perspective
Livestrong saved my life. It gave me hope when I had none. It didn’t feel sorry for me, it challenged me. It targeted my physical limitations, but improved my emotional, spiritual and social limitations as well. The bond I have with our trainers and classmates is unmatched. I have never felt closer or stronger about others as I do this group. I feel safe and comfortable talking about my disease. The facilities are perfect for this program and I couldn’t imagine it anywhere else. The bottom line is this…We have a BIG GOD who loves us, and this program checks all the boxes for a cancer warrior to feel alive again with the hope and knowledge that we are not alone and hard work does pay off. “You get what you put into it.”
-Curtis Wheeler, YMCA-IMV LiveStrong Participant
Cancer can devastate anyone, at anytime, from any background. When it happens, the lives of everyone that person are affected.
“I have a new attitude about life,” said Martha (shown on right). “I left behind the toxic memories of the disease, disappointing milestones and other horrible experiences. I no longer care about the judgement of others. Life is a blessing! It is time to live it! No I am embarking on a new challenge with the great people God has put in my path.”