OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Steve Jensen was an avid traveler, often frequenting the southwest, but that all stopped when he was diagnosed with stage three prostate cancer.
"It was the worst part of my life," Jensen said. "It was just totally devastating. During the radiation, it's hard to eat. You're under a big regiment with that."
After 39 rounds of radiation, Jensen was cancer free, but the treatment took a toll, and he continued to struggle mentally and physically. But he refused to let cancer control his life. He joined the Livestrong program at the YMCA.
"I have no fear of things I used to have fear with. I just want to experience different things," Jensen said.
The Livestrong Program is a national program with the YMCA that started in 2007 and was implemented in Omaha in 2011, to help people battling cancer and cancer survivors.
"We build relationships in and among the participants so that we really have that team effort of the twelve people working together," Amy Roux, project manager for Livestrong at the YMCA said.
Joan Fredrickson participated in the Livestrong Program back in 2022 and said she's regained strength after completing the program.
"I have much better flexibility, balance, and strength," Fredrickson said.
Fredrickson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 and was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2017.
"I'm doing really well right now. I'm in remission," Fredrickson said.
The program is split up between groups of 6-12 people and focuses primarily on cardiovascular, strength training, and balance exercises.
It goes beyond the treadmill and bike for Jensen. He said it forms a bond—knowing that he's in the same program with other people going through the same thing.
"One of the guys here, he's turning into a best friend. A couple of the ladies in here are just great. They've been through worse than me and we all just kind of bond, pat each other on the back," Jensen said.
The program runs 12 weeks and is completely free to people battling cancer and survivors.
