Carolyn Armendariz

I am a five-year cancer survivor. I got the news of that milestone right before a LIVESTRONG at the YMCA session that was taking place at the Newton YMCA. Perfect timing, right? I’m a survivor of stage 4 colon cancer that spread to my liver and I beat it. Eighteen months later, I faced a recurrence in my liver. Yet here I am, standing strong, thanks to faith, family and the LIVESTRONG program.

Let me take you back to a moment that I knew I needed help.  My husband and I took our dream retirement trip to the Holy Land. It was so spiritual — except when I tried to get up from sitting on the ground with my backpack on and couldn’t do it without help. My husband, Mike, and another kind soul had to hoist me up. Talk about humbling! 

When I got home, physical therapy helped. I still felt weak, but could get off the floor. That’s when a cancer survivor friend in Wichita told me about LIVESTRONG. The change in her was amazing. I made the call, enrolled and, honestly, I wasn’t sure about the “support group” vibe. I’d never been part of one, except for my family. Imagining myself in an exercise group made me laugh.

But then I met Becky Busnitz and the amazing team here. From day one, I was shocked by how much I loved the social connection. And to be honest, that is what kept me coming.  One morning, I came to class with a heavy heart. A dear 90-year-old friend of mine, a grandma, was attending her grandson’s funeral. I shared my grief with the group and was asked, “Do you want to pray about it?” 

AMEN! I’d forgotten that the YMCA is rooted in Christian principles. That moment hooked me. The knowledge, passion and love that Becky and the instructors bring to the Y is nothing short of remarkable. You truly hire the best!

Then there were the women in my group — my sisters. I thought a “cancer group” would be a downer, but oh, was I wrong! We each had different cancers, different scars — physical and emotional — but we built each other up. One woman had just lost her husband weeks before. She came to honor his memory because he’d signed her up. Together, we worked on our strength, our balance and learned how to use exercise equipment to rebuild our bodies. 

I was exercising.  I was improving.  We each saw real results and shared so many laughs. They even had me crawling on the floor, howling at the moon! Can you picture that?

LIVESTRONG didn’t just rebuild my body, it rebuilt my confidence, improved my immune system and gave me a community. I’m now part of the monthly reunion classes, and I’ve even joined Boomer Bootcamp and Cardio Dance group exercise classes because of the confidence I gained. 

This program is a lifeline for cancer survivors.  A few weeks ago, my Mike had a bad cold,  the in-bed-for-two-days type of cold.  I could not believe I didn’t catch it.  I would catch any and everything, but I believe LIVESTRONG built up my immunity.

I now have my sister in-law coming with me and an old friend from Hertzler Clinic days. And to see the connections everyone has to another.  It is a small world, and I find you always gravitate to those you have things in common with. 

I hope every survivor in Newton area can experience the joy of howling at the moon — or at least standing up without a helping hand. I hope this program will continue for years to come.