News and Stories

Becoming a mother is never easy, but having kids in my teen years created a set of barriers that seemed impossible to overcome at the time. At the age of 20, I found myself a single mom of two with the weight of the world on my shoulders. The idea of pursuing my own personal and professional development, which I always valued, seemed unimaginable and I worried about our finances.

A parent’s worst nightmare turned into a happy celebration earlier this month when nine year old, Alexis Edall, rescued a toddler who fell into the pool.  Alexis’ mother is extremely proud of her daughter who was quick to act, demonstrating the life-saving skills she had recently learned in a YMCA spring break aquatic seal camp.

After two years of training to become an IRONMAN, I was crushed when the triathlon I registered for and had poured so much time into working towards was cancelled due to COVID. With the help of the YMCA of Okanagan, I was able to persevere through my training and create my own Lone Wolf IRONMAN. They provided the support and environment I needed to succeed.

After the birth of my second child, I was struggling to juggle two young kids when tragedy struck. I received a call that a crane had broke and fallen, dropping a 7,000-pound beam on my husband, Vince, while he was at work. It was so horrific, the first responders didn’t think anyone could have survived an accident of that magnitude.

After decades of battling an extreme drug addiction that left me working on the streets, I got clean and moved to Kelowna in search of a new beginning. I was finally sober, but still had so much healing to do to avoid relapsing. 

Physical activity is something I have always enjoyed and prioritized throughout my life, so I was devastated when I became disabled a year ago. I was in debilitating pain from my sciatica, fibromyalgia, and arthritis in my knees and lower back. I tried so hard to continue working, but in the end, I had to go on disability as the pain was just too much to continue with my job.