Team Survivor Northwest

"Join Team Survivor Northwest!" is the first advice I give to female friends who are newly diagnosed with cancer. It's an organization that meets you at your level of fitness, no matter what that might be. There are numerous activities and everyone is very welcoming and encouraging. The focus is on fitness and health and getting our lives back. My Wednesday mid-week hikes are so important to my physical and mental health that I have arranged with work to be off every Wednesday. The annual retreats are a time to reconnect and be inspired and just have fun. As others have said, this organization is the silver lining to a cancer diagnosis.

The best thing that came out of going through my journey around cancer is finding and participating in the Team Survivor NW Hiking Group that meets once a week for 6 months out of the year. It has been healing for me these past 5 years to be out in nature, stretching my lungs and legs, breathing in the beauty of the wild and its fresh air while being with women who have gone through the experience of facing one's mortality in a real and raw way.

The group is very well organized, and the team spirit has made hiking in so many beautiful trails both safe and accessible for me. When it comes time to start up hiking in the spring after our winter hiatus, I am reminded that this group is one of the important tribes in my life that I am a part of, and there is a feeling of coming home.

This is a great organization, making active programs available to cancer survivors! I joined them this year - loved the mid-week hiking group. The members I've met have been very welcoming and I've been grateful for the camaraderie of fellow survivors. Thanks Team Survivor NW!!

Team Survivor NW has been life changing...Getting a cancer diagnosis was the negative and TSNW was the positive that helped me get through treatment and beyond. Through the Active Women/Healthy Women classes and hiking, I was able to summit heights that I never thought possible, even before diagnosis. I am grateful for this strong and dedicated group of women survivors and trainers, the expertise and training, and the opportunity to push myself further than I thought.

I am a Team Survivor NW member and have been participating with the midweek hike group for two years. As a two time ovarian cancer survivor, this is better than any support group I've ever attended. The sisterhood of cancer warriors is a powerful thing.

I joined Team Survivor 9 years ago right out of treatment. I had no idea what I could safely do with Lymphedema. I came so that I could figure out how to recover from treatment and how to live with my changed body. I am still part of Team Survivor and hope to be here for another 10 or 20 years. This is the most welcoming and supportive group of women you could imagine. You come for the fitness programs and don't imagine the incredible support and hope you receive from the other women. After a couple of years I joined the Dragon Boat team and as one member says, "It was almost worth getting cancer to be on this team with this group of women." I cannot describe the value of seeing 20 year survivors living full lives and staying fit and in better shape than most women their age. I serve on the board so that I can pay it forward to other women.

TSNW is like no other Cancer support group. You might come for the exercise programs while you are in treatment, just out of treatment, or a long time out of treatment but you'll stay for much more. You will get a great workout geared towards your current level and/or maybe enjoy one of the outdoor programs or the annual retreat. You might climb a mountain when you've never hiked before, maybe you'll lead others, or maybe you will walk or paddle side by side with someone encouraging you to keep on. But on top of that you will find you are enjoying the company of amazing women who have been through so much while they share their joy of becoming their new "best selves".

I have been diagnosed and treated for cancer three times in my life. I generally shy away from "support groups" for various reasons. However, what I found in Team Survivor Northwest was an amazing group of women who find a way to move forward in their life despite their cancer diagnosis. The women are in various phases of their treatment and recovery. (For some of the women their cancer diagnosis and treatment was many years ago.) What Team Survivor NW provides are numerous activities and programs that help women find joy and support as they strive for active and healthy living. It has helped me find a way forward, with your support you can help other women find the way forward as well.

I have had a wonderful experience with team survivor. About 2 months out of my mastectomy, I wen to a workout class that was the perfect level for me. A year later I spent a bunch of Wednesdays hiking with a supportive, friendly group of people. This summer I have been in training for a triathlon with another great group of women. Everyone is completely supportive and helping me to understand how to do one. I have wanted to do a triathlon for years and this was the perfect opportunity to do it with a team of amazing women. Wherever you are at on your journey, you will find a supportive, caring environment for a level that is right for you.

Team Survivor Northwest has been a spark in my life. I only wished that I had learned about it sooner - could have been a charter member. But I only learned about it in my oncologist office when I was dealing with my third cancer. I saw a brochure with a dragon boat on the front. I called the number on the brochure and became a dragon boat paddler. It changed my life. Suddenly I had a group of 30 new sisters (almost made it worth getting cancer!). Dragon boating led me to other fitness activities. I had never been much for exercise and I had never been an athlete. Nine years later I am the healthiest I have ever been - all due to TSNW - not too bad for an octogenarian! Thanks TSNW for a healthy better me! Judy Wolcott

I am a female cancer survivor. During the time of my cancer treatment, I sought out support groups. The groups I found were quite negative and full of gloom and doom. And then I went on a walk with the Team Survivor Group. What an amazing group of positive upbeat supportive women! This group of women helped get me through the toughest time of my life with their camaraderie, positivism, support, and educational opportunities. Now that I am past my cancer treatment, I am enjoying paying it back, by helping out the organization financially and also as a volunteer. I see many members who benefit greatly just as I did, and I am very happy to be part of their cancer recovery journey.

I love being active in TSNW. I have joined two sub-groups: Dragon Boat Racing & Mid-Week Hiking. In general, we are a very optimistic group, focusing on our strengths (rather than complaining about our past or present cancer). The women I've met through TS, are incredibly supportive and fun. Team Survivor takes care to make sure safety and having fun go hand-in-hand at every event; I feel safe physically & emotionally.

TSNW is the silver lining following a cancer diagnosis. This is a group of “can do” cancer survivors. These amazing women know what it means to persist through fear, trauma, pain and suffering. So, they don’t sweat the small stuff but focus on enjoying life to its fullest! I’m so happy to be part of such a positive organization.

I am a cancer survivor who has benefited greatly from this organization. Their priority is getting women cancer survivors into healthy activities that meet their personal needs. TSNW achieves this in the very best way with a huge variety of offerings and fun events, at little or no cost to members. The access to the great outdoors through the midday hiking group has made a world of difference in my life and the camaraderie of being with other survivors in various endeavors and learning from them is huge. I love this organization!!

Team Survivor Northwest is an organization that changes lives. When I was diagnosed with cancer all I wanted to do was to figure out how to survive. My oncologist shared with me that one of the most important things I could do for myself was to exercise to improve my quality of life and prevent recurrence. I was thrilled when I found TSNW - a place where I could become active during and after chemo in a safe and secure space surrounded by other women experiencing a similar challenge. TSNW helped me get back on my feet after my diagnosis. I was fragile, weak and scared, but with TSNW’s help I was able to heal. More than 15 years later I am still thriving while surviving thanks to TSNW and its amazing and committed staff.

Team Survivor is awesome. When my wife emerged from her treatment, Team Survivor was there to embrace her and help her back to find her physical health. It provides an invaluable service to women who are seeking to find their wholeness during and after cancer.

Team Survivor Northwest gave me back a part of my life I never thought I would get back after cancer. I am a marathon runner and have been very active all of my adult life. I thought that was over after cancer. TSNW gave me the support and the programs to find my athletic self again. I climbed Mt St Helens (though I'd not been a hiker before joining TSNW) and am now on the Dragon Boat team. I want as many women who have or have had cancer in the Seattle area to be able to experience the amazing programs and support that TSNW has to offer!

Team Survivor Northwest is an incredible organization for people like me living with cancer. More than an exercise group and more than a support group, TSNW organizes natural opportunities to have fun with other survivors while participating in activities, at all levels, that has been scientifically demonstrated to improve outcomes for those touched by cancer. I feel truly blessed by this organization and all the women I have met through TSNW.