Team Survivor Northwest

Fitness Retreat: The annual TSNW Fitness Retreat is perhaps the most highly anticipated event each year. In February 2023, over 100 women attended the retreat, where they learned from experts in cancer and nutrition, exercised with a variety of instructors and built each other up through community activities. The Fitness Retreat attracts many young cancer survivors to TSNW for the first time and years later, many women continue to refer to the Fitness Retreat as the moment that they regained hope after their cancer diagnosis.

Seasonal Programs: 2023 included outdoor seasonal programs including Mountain Climbing, Triathlon Training, Dragon Boating, Midweek Hiking & Cycling. The 19-member mountain climb team trained all spring and summer to climb Ruth Mountain, a 3-day climb on glaciated terrain, using ice axes and crampons, while carrying 40-pound backpacks. Despite bad weather, this group stayed positive through every challenge, capturing the symbolism of the mountains they have climbed and supported each other on throughout their cancer journeys. Our Triathlon Training team trained for swimming, cycling and running. Those who just wanted to focus on Cycling, joined the summer cycling team. The Dragon Boating team had 63 active members and competed at regional races. A TSNW favorite, Midweek Hiking was offered two days each week, with Wednesdays being more intense and Thursdays at a slower pace.

Weekly Move to Heal Fitness Classes: Our Move to Heal fitness classes were offered both virtually and in-person in 2023. The classes continued to be "the best part of the week" for many members. These 13 free classes are offered at different levels of intensity, by different paid certified instructors and include Fitness Basics, Interval Training, Yoga, Pilates, Zumba, and "Ejercicio para Sanar". In 2023, we added an in-person Pilates and a new Move to Heal class in Renton. We also launched a new Water Aerobics class. Women of all fitness levels are encouraged to join these classes led by certified instructors who are educated and experienced in the special needs of working with the cancer community. Members enjoy this safe space to join other women who are undergoing treatment or regaining and maintaining strength post-treatment.

Volunteering: Many of our programs could not run without the work of our dedicated volunteers, who often volunteer many hours each week in various programs. They often describe themselves as paying it forward to new members after receiving so many benefits from Team Survivor when they first joined. Our 143 volunteers put in 6359 hours of work in 2023, valued at $205,014.