A free program to help cancer survivors regain strength and endurance is being offered at all five YMCA branches in Snohomish County.
The 12-week program, Exercise and Thrive, was first offered locally last year. Some people have been on waiting lists nearly since that first class was offered, hoping to get into the next round of classes, said Caroline Brown, program coordinator for the YMCA of Snohomish County.
Up to 14 men and women can participate at each branch. Each 90-minute class includes physical activity and strength components and activities such as swimming and biking.
The program was developed with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
The muscle mass of cancer survivors often lags far behind people of the same age, even 10 to 20 years after their treatments, scientists have found. Their endurance isn’t as great and their cardiovascular systems aren’t as robust.
The Exercise and Thrive program was first offered last year at the Monroe and Marysville branches. “What’s exciting and new is that we are now able to serve the whole county,” Brown said.
Cancer patients are often involved in diagnosis and treatment for months. At the end, “doctors say go home and live well,” Brown said.
But many face a variety of problems such as fatigue, numbness, lack of endurance and depression, she said.
“A lot of our cancer survivors were finding they couldn’t resume their old life,” Brown said. “They’re thinking ‘I wish I felt better.’ They’re not thriving.
“We had a participant say, ‘It wasn’t until this class that he felt healed and whole again.”
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
Attend a YMCA class
To participate in the Exercise and Thrive program, you must be at least 21 years old and 90 days out of cancer treatment with no evidence of the disease. Bring a doctor’s approval to join the class.
Everett: Starts Feb. 8. Classes are on Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. Call Gael Thomson at 425-374-5703.
Mill Creek: Starts Feb. 8. Classes are on Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30 to 11 a.m. Call Jeralin Olson at 425-327-3033.
Mukilteo: Starts Feb. 15. Classes are Tuesday and Thursday at 1 p.m. Call Ingrid Draper at 425-493-2425
Marysville: Starts Feb. 15. Classes are Tuesday and Thursday at 1 p.m. Call Ronda Hardcastle at 425-651-1605.
Monroe: Starts Thursday. Classes are Thursday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m. Call Cynthia Koezer at 360-453-2190.
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