Tanya's Why
By Lucy Berres
When Tanya first walked through the doors of the Jerry Long Family YMCA in 2021, she had never stepped foot inside a YMCA before. She had no idea what to expect. She certainly couldn’t have imagined that the people and community she would find there would become such an important part of her cancer journey—and eventually lead her back to the Y in an entirely different role.
Tanya was diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of 2020 and spent the following year undergoing extensive treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. At the same time, she was caring for her young son, who had been born just before her diagnosis.
Her oncologist referred her to the YMCA’s LIVESTRONG program, a 12-week program designed to help cancer survivors regain strength, improve physical and emotional well-being, and connect with others who understand the cancer journey.
“I didn’t know what to expect in any way, shape or form,” Tanya said. “But meeting everyone at the Y was fantastic. And then all the people that I came in contact with and met through the program, it was just wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.”
For Tanya, LIVESTRONG became much more than an exercise program. It was the first place where she found a community of people who understood what she was experiencing.
“That's the first, and really the only, place that I found community, and that I found other people to talk to about our cancer journeys,” she said.
The relationships she formed through LIVESTRONG became an important source of encouragement and support. The group celebrated one another’s victories, encouraged one another through difficult days and formed friendships that continued even after the program ended. Tanya still occasionally receives texts from members of her LIVESTRONG group checking in on her.
“It not only helped me physically, obviously, but it helped me mentally, spiritually, emotionally, all of it,” Tanya said. “It really did.”
The program helped Tanya begin moving forward after an incredibly difficult chapter of her life. It gave her confidence to become active again, reconnect with others and begin feeling more like herself.
“When the treatments end and after surgery, we've healed and all that kind of thing, it's not over,” she said. “You still have a journey. I still do. But that journey started with LIVESTRONG and helped me. I wouldn't be where I am right now if I hadn't gone through that program.”
Now, years later, Tanya’s journey with the Y has come full circle.
In late 2025, she relocated to Wilkesboro to be closer to her family. As she began thinking about where she wanted to work in her new community, she knew there was one place she wanted to start.
The Y.
Tanya had worked in hospitality management, but she wasn’t looking for just another job. After everything she had experienced, she wanted her work to have meaning. She wanted to help people, make a difference and be part of something bigger than herself.
“I didn't want just a job,” Tanya said. “I wanted something where I can really help people and make a difference.”
So she applied to work at the YMCA.
Today, Tanya is the Director of Member Experience at the Wilkes Family YMCA and a member of the Y community she once discovered through LIVESTRONG. She is building new relationships, getting to know her coworkers and introducing her family to all the Y has to offer.
For Tanya, becoming part of the YMCA is about more than a job. It’s an opportunity to give back to an organization that helped her find strength when she needed it most.
“I know how important life is,” she said. “I know how important every day is. It needs to be lived to the fullest, and I just want to help anybody in every way I can.”
What began with a breast cancer diagnosis and walking through the doors of the Jerry Long Family YMCA became a journey of healing, friendship and purpose.
Tanya came to the Y looking for a way to rebuild her strength and find community.
Today, she’s helping create that same sense of community for others, and helping them find their strength.