YMCA Member Story: Regaining Strength, Thanks to the Y

The YMCA has given me strength to keep moving forward through my toughest challenges this year. I was bitten by a Brown Recluse spider on Oct. 30, 2022. I ended up going to the hospital on Nov. 14, 2022 and staying until Jan. 14, 2023. The venom had spread throughout the whole back of my thigh, I almost died from this spider bite. I was operated on twice, and had to be put into a hyperbaric chamber twice. Long story short, the wound was severely large. I lost the ability to walk and had to endure a year and four months of therapy to relearn how to walk.

The water aerobics classes at the Y have given me more strength in my wounded leg and also has strengthened my whole body. The instructors at the Y are amazing teachers, and so kind; they give me motivation to keep coming back. They're not only instructors, but they've also become my friend and their positivity in helping me heal has given me strength. One day I will be walking again without the need of a cane.

The Y has helped me see that with hard work and kindness anything is possible. Everyone at my Y is super kind, and I am grateful to have come through these doors in search of healing, but most importantly finding new and caring friends in my journey to a better life.