Meet the women of 60 Strong

After being diagnosed with colon cancer, she enrolled in school and became a nurse. Elizabeth joined the army when she was 49 after 9/11 to give back to her country. She trained diligently for a year to pass basic training and enroll in the Army, and then served as a nurse practitioner healing wounded soldiers coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. Liz was also deployed to Haiti for a year after a devastating 2010 earthquake helping to rebuild schools and medical facilities. After 10 years in the service, she was medically discharged when while on active duty she was hit during the Boston Marathon terrorist attack.

Liz starts every day with prayer and meditation to center herself. She participates in the Y’s walking club year-round and swimming classes for her arthritis. For Elizabeth, health is about consistency; she follows a routine making time on her calendar every day to focus on her health. In her free time, she enjoys scrapbooking, gardening, attending art classes at the Y, going for walks and bike rides with her husband and traveling to see her grandchildren.

As an active volunteer at her local YMCA, Elizabeth helps run several different campaign programs and organizes local food drives for people in the area. Outside of the Y, Elizabeth gives back by walking annually at the ARC of Onondaga Walk as well as the AIDs Community Resources walk and helping to run the Susan G. Koman Cancer Foundation booth at the NY State Fair.

Deborah ReinhardtYoumans

Deborah “Deb” Youmans was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 52. She describes her recovery period as one of the most difficult times of her life, during which she spent three months in bed after doctors removed a portion of her right lung. “By the time chemo rounds were completed, I was down to 85 pounds with not a hair on my head – no eyebrows, no eye lashes ... I looked like a walking skeleton,” Deb recalls.

While her recovery was grueling, it was during that time that she and her husband received the greatest blessing of their lives; after waiting nearly ten years, they received a phone call from the adoption agency that a baby girl was due the next day. That baby girl, Elizabeth, would be their daughter. Deb says that a sense of “love and true grit” took over. It was a mother’s motivation that helped her get better.

After recovering, Deb went through routine scans for four years. But on the very last scan, her doctor found an abnormality. Deb learned that she would have to start all over with surgery and chemotherapy. Her first response? “I can’t, I have a daughter.” But once again, Deb remained strong. She credits Elizabeth for lifting her spirits during her recovery. Within three weeks of her surgery, Deb was back at the YMCA, where she is a beloved group fitness teacher and role model in the Livestrong program. To this day, Deb continues teaching HIIT, yoga, and back-strengthening classes to her students.

In her free time, Deb loves to camp with her daughter and husband. They enjoy biking as a family, and Deb is looking forward to this summer when Elizabeth’s training wheels will come off. She lives her life feeling truly blessed with the motto “whatever circumstances you’re in, be content.” SWM

Photos by Elliott Cramer