I wouldn’t have made it without the YMCA.

I found the Y, before my two kids were born.  My exercise pals and the Y staff became part of my family.  When my husband and I had children, our YMCA community continued to play an important part in our lives.  Some of my best “mommy advice” and understanding came from fellow Y members and the gals at the front desk.

In 2010 my world came crashing down. My daughter’s 7-year-old heart began to fail.  In need of a transplant, our only option was to hospitalize her for an entire year, attached to an external heart pump while we waited for a new heart.  Through this crisis, the Y was there for my family.

Five years later her body rejected her new heart.  We were again blessed, but not until we endured yet another seven months in a hospital five hours from our home.  My husband and I took turns, traveling back and forth to Pittsburgh to be with our daughter and to maintain a sense of normalcy for our son.  Again, the Y was there for my family.

I am still speechless by what the Y did for us during those dark days, and what they continue to do for us.  Our insurance has paid for so much, but the extra expenses have been unimaginable.  Thanks to the assistance the Y provided my family, we’ve been able to continue to be part of a community that feels like family.  

Thank you to everyone who is part of our Y.  Our family is proud to part of a Y that carries out its mission and to be part of a community that truly cares.

-Margie