The Livestrong Foundation funds cancer wellness programs in the US to help patients return to normal life after being treated with chemotherapy. The program is run at 30 YMCAs around the US with the help of a $10,000 grant from the charity.
One YMCA taking part is in Greater Scranton, Pennsylvania, which is already a wellness centre with a strong focus on community activity. The Livestrong grant will be used to train two staff members in cancer, post-rehab exercise and supportive cancer care. They will then run the 12-week Livestrong at the YMCA program.
The program is aimed at providing support for adult cancer survivors who are in the transitional period between finishing their treatment and becoming physically and emotionally well enough to get back to normal life – or the “new normal” as Livestrong refers to it.
Livestrong at the YMCA focuses on health and wellness, not disease, and that’s why the charity chose to partner with YMCAs for delivery, keeping the program away from hospitals and medical centres. It aims to help participants become physically stronger while helping them devise a healthier lifestyle to aid their recovery. All exercise and activity is specifically tailored for those who have had debilitating cancer treatment such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
At the Greater Scranton YMCA, they hope to build on the Livestrong grant and program to increase community awareness and involvement in all of its events. The Y has already begun to plan a diabetes program that will work in a similar way to the post-cancer program.
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