Greg and his wife Rosemary joined the YMCA in 1991. Greg chose the YMCA for our family atmosphere and the many different program offerings. Although Greg primarily swam and used the Wellness Center, he also used the Racquetball courts and Gymnasium to practice sports with his children. Greg would wake up at 5:00am and come to the Y and catch for his daughter as she prepared for another year of softball. Greg also started developing lasting friendships with fellow patrons that exercised during the same time. One of those members is Martin.
Over the years his children have grown and moved on to college and joined the workforce. Greg firmly believes that the Farmington Family YMCA played a crucial part in the development of his children becoming model citizens.
Things for Greg were about to take an unexpected turn in the fall of 2017. While exercising in the Wellness Center he experienced a stroke. He was immediately taken to the hospital to be diagnosed with branch retinal artery occlusion. This resulted in Greg losing 90% of his vision.
Greg was forced to adapt his lifestyle to these new limitations. What Greg didn’t expect was how the Farmington Family YMCA would help make that transition easier. Every morning Greg’s friend Martin picks him up from his house so he can exercise. Greg walks miles on the indoor track and uses the recumbent bike. Recently with the help of our lifeguards Greg has been able to take up swimming again. The increase in physical activity has also resulted in Greg losing 20 pounds.
For those of you who know Greg he is a very honest person and will let you know how he feels whether it’s good or bad. When asking him about his story he kept coming back to how much the Y has impacted his life.
There are many others that walk through our doors just like Greg. We have members who have experienced the recent loss of a loved one and trying to piece their life together. Teens that need a safe place to shoot hoops and do school work while their mom works her second job and single parents that need an affordable option for childcare. Every day is an opportunity to impact someone’s life. Whether it is picking a friend up to work out or donating to our annual campaign, every day you are presented a chance to help build a better US!