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Surviving Through Fitness
by Karen Reed-Matthee

It began with a brochure.

Mary-K McCoy stopped by the Team Survivor Northwest booth at a walk/run sponsored by Swedish Medical Center to raise money for ovarian cancer research. She kept the informational brochure the volunteers handed her about the fitness-focused cancer support group, and six months later when she’d completed her own treatment for ovarian cancer and felt well enough, she went to one of the organization’s meetings.

That was four years ago. Today, Mary-K is board president of Team Survivor Northwest and participates regularly in walking, hiking and boating activities sponsored by the group. She’s even walked a half marathon and completed a Danskin triathlon. “I’d been an active person all my life; it’s how I maintain my sanity,” McCoy says with a laugh. “When I showed up for a walking group, it was like I’d known those women forever. We went for a walk and we didn’t have to talk about cancer all the time. And while I was there, I was invited to other activities, some which I’d never done and some I’d given up. “

While many organizations offer emotional support for cancer patients and raise funds for cancer research, Team Survivor Northwest’s sole mission is to provide physical activities and sports-centered adventures for women cancer survivors. Programs are offered throughout the Seattle area and even some outlying areas in neighborhood-based facilities such as community centers, gyms, churches and hospitals, or in the great outdoors. And all activities — whether they’re weekly urban hikes or climbing the highest peaks in the state — are free to the members.

That’s important because many of the women have accumulated huge medical bills, says Team Survivor Executive Director Ellen Bovarnick. The programs need to be accessible over the long haul because fitness is a long-term commitment. “We’re about helping women reclaim their bodies, their spirits and their lives,” she says.

Team Survivor began in 1995 with a group of women cancer survivors training for a triathlon. The women brought local oncologist Dr. Julie Gralow on board to serve as team physician. Not only was Gralow inspired by their tenacity and strength, she was amazed at the incredible physical and psychological benefits the women gained through the training. Gralow, along with Lisa Talbott, decided to create an organization that would offer year-round fitness opportunities for all women cancer survivors. With assistance from the University of Washington Cancer Center, they founded Team Survivor Northwest.

Today, the nonprofit’s menu of activities is long and varied; there’s definitely something for everybody and for every level of fitness, whether they’ve finished treatment or are still in it. There are moderate weekly urban hikes and a more strenuous version designed to build fitness over the hiking season. Every other year, Team Survivor coordinates a mountain climb. “We train the women at any stage of fitness,” says Bovarnick.

Year-round water sports include swimming during the winter, outrigger canoeing and dragon boating, a sport that originated in China and involves a long boat with 20 paddlers, a tiller and a caller. The dragon boating season culminates in an annual August race and festival at Newcastle Beach Park on Lake Washington. “Dragon Boating has become a metaphor for Team Survivor,” says Bovarnick. “The boat moves forward when we paddle together; the drumbeat becomes a shared heartbeat. We’re all in it together, a team.”

Winter sports include cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Indoor cycling is offered during the colder months, and outdoor bike trips in warmer seasons start shorter and get longer as cyclists increase their endurance levels. At an annual fitness retreat in January (this year in Port Townsend), members connect and make fitness plans. Walking groups are ongoing, as are yoga and indoor fitness classes. Team Survivor also does triathlon and marathon training. “We have women who started by walking and are now completing the Seattle marathon,” brags Bovarnick. “One of our members finished first in her age group in the Danskin triathlon, and she wasn’t an athlete when she started.”

Spanish-speaking members can join Caminantes Triumphantes (Triumphant Walkers) or Viva Dance, Latin dance lessons offered in Spanish and English.

Team Survivor instructors and trainers, some volunteer, some paid, are trained and certified and report to Program Manager Monica Strasen, who has been a personal trainer and gym owner. The organization is governed by a board of directors and guided on program and patient issues by a medical advisory committee, co-chaired by Dr. Gralow.

With Team Survivor, there’s a different level of acceptance than there is in other walking or fitness groups that aren’t composed solely of women cancer survivors, says McCoy. “If someone can’t keep up with the pack, it doesn’t matter … cancer is present, but it’s not a focus. The focus is on fitness, on getting some control back in our lives.”

Karen Reed-Matthee is the editor of Seattle Woman.

©2007 Caliope Publishing Company