MEET DARIENNE

In 2019, Darienne Montgomery received the news that the concerning lumps in her lymph nodes were cancer. Stage 2B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, to be exact. As she began her first of 12 eventual rounds of chemo, her compromised immune system required that she enter into a protective quarantine–months before it became a worldwide trend.

As chemo-induced isolation merged into pandemic-induced isolation through the summer of 2020, she finished her chemo treatments. She began to look around for support and community as a cancer survivor. In September 2020, she discovered LIVESTRONG at the YMCA. The connections she made with other cancer survivors were life-changing for Darienne. In addition to the supportive community relationships, she found the ability to return to a healthy activity level in a safe environment. This was a wonderful opportunity for both her mental health and her physical strength.

As she began to realize the impact of the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program on her new friends and the broader Lynchburg community, she became more involved in supporting the program, first as an assistant in the program and then as an employee of the YMCA. To this day, she continues to partner with the program and individuals involved in it and helps to raise donations to enable the YMCA to continue its outreach programs.

“It’s come full circle,” she says, “I think this is a great program and would encourage anybody that feels that they need support while going through their treatment, or after their treatment… this is a great palace to do that.”