Paul Wesley
THRIVE photo
by Lauren Eckstein
It is a sunny Tuesday afternoon, and a group of men and women wearing the usual shorts or spandex have just walked into the fitness room at Central Bucks Family YMCA in Doylestown. Some get on reclining bikes and begin pedaling; some get on treadmills and begin walking; some grip weight machines and begin lifting. Trainers like mothers who can’t help being helpful, weave between the machines offering tips, advice and encouragement. The men and women smile a little, and groan a little, but they pedal and walk and lift. Ask any casual observer, and they would say this looks like an ordinary exercise class. But ask any of the participants to categorize what they are doing and they might have a different answer. Yes, it is exercise. But to them it is also something else: hope.
This group of men and women are more than your everyday fitness buffs. They are cancer survivors. And after undergoing diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and medication, they now have a place where they can feel like they are taking control of their health; a place where they can start to feel strong again; a place where they can THRIVE. At the Central Bucks Family YMCA, THRIVE means: To Help Restore and Increase Vitality through Exercise. The 12-week group wellness program is designed for men and women who have been diagnosed with cancer and are in varying stages of their treatment. The goals of the program are to help participants increase strength, stamina, balance and flexibility as they battle to regain health. Yet for the participants, it becomes much more.
“It’s a group of kindred spirits,” said Angela Oprendek, project manager of the THRIVE Cancer Wellness Program. “What I hear, across the board, is people who say, ‘I met people I bonded with, people who understand me and support me.’ There is guidance and support and they achieve physical things they could not achieve on their own.”
To finish reading about the THRIVE program, turn to page 110 in the Summer 2013 issue of Bucks County Magazine.