Our Impact
We rely on the support of the community to help ensure that everyone has the opportunity to reach their potential.
Here's a powerful story that illustrates the impact we can have in our YMCA community…
Meet Kent Bradley. At 49 years old, Kent, a professional engineer, needed emergency open-heart surgery. The surgery was a success but he knew the journey to recovery would not be easy. “I was told to walk as my therapy. And so, I walked—very short distances at first, gradually increasing.” Kent logged his walks online and posted them to Facebook, which gave him the motivation to keep improving. Eventually, Kent hit a wall in his recovery. He was walking long distances almost every day but could only walk on flat terrain. He asked his doctor about the YMCA Healthy Heart program he’d heard about while in the hospital and, after a year of dedicated recovery, he qualified to join.
On joining the program, Kent said, “I came to class with the motivation to be able to climb hills and, maybe someday, hike in our mountains again.” He joined in 2015, after his emergency surgery, and has been a member ever since. Through his Healthy Heart classes, Kent went from building the strength to walk up hills without losing his wind, to having confidence in his fitness and the ability to climb steep hills and trails. “My wife and I bought an RV a couple of years ago, and we often hike when camping and don't shy away from any trails because of my heart health anymore.”
For Kent, the class hasn’t just been a place for physical recovery. The YMCA Healthy Heart program is a community where, Kent says, “there is real goodwill that is perhaps grounded in our shared experiences.” What Kent loves about the class is everything that takes it above and beyond a fitness class: the humor and witty banter when working out, the potluck dinners and the get-togethers where participants share stories and experiences.
Since 2015, Kent has made an incredible recovery. He has returned to work full-time, hikes with his wife, enjoys hobbies like board games and cooking and is an active member at the Glen Pine Healthy Heart class.
On May 25th, Kent will be volunteering at the 2019 YMCA Walk of Life event to raise money to ensure that anyone, regardless of financial ability, can access the services and community that helped him recover and thrive.