Our theme for this clinic was Balance. Lynn suggested that we think of being in balance physically as stability and strength. The gym was cold and outside, on this January afternoon, it was windy and there was snow still on the ground. But we sat in a circle and shared around the theme.

In our sharing we focused on one important aspect of balance: what gives us inner strength.

Each woman shared what gave her inner strength on a daily basis after having cancer. Each woman had a different take on this and the sharing was open and respectful.

Then Andrew shared the need for balance in basketball and exercise, and he took us through warm ups, stretching, and drills that emphasized improving balance.

We did team passing drills, lay-up line drills and raced to make baskets. As in recent clinics, the group moved quickly through the drills, sweating and clapping in encouragement of one another.

We did a great job of working our upper bodies (passing and shooting), increasing endurance (running sprints and doing defensive slides across the court), and improving balance and flexibility. It was a full-body and mind workout and the time flew by. We ended with sprinting and our final stretching.

We stood in a circle to share our final "take aways." One new member shared: "What I take away from today is the wonderful awareness that for two whole hours I was in the moment, not worried about cancer, just having fun and focused on moving."

Our theme for this clinic was Endurance. Lynn explained two results of endurance. "When we endure hard times in life, it may make us stronger but it also drains us. When we endure in our exercise, it makes us stronger and gives us energy." She encouraged each participant to talk about what endurance meant to her.

What happened next was unexpected and profound. Woman after woman openly shared what she has had to endure in life. For some, cancer began the struggle of illness, recovery and then broken relationships as boyfriends and husbands decided that they were not able to stay and support their wives or girlfriends post-surgery. Other women shared earlier life challenges such as poverty, homelessness, and family of origin difficulties that they had to endure and overcome. By the end of sharing, we looked around at each other, really seeing who we were for the first time: a group of life-survivors, not just cancer-survivors.

Then, remarkably, we got up and played! We hooted and hollered through our drills, as Andrew asked us to walk, skip, and move with our balls. We had team passing drills, lay-up line drills, and raced to make baskets. As in recent clinics, the group moved quickly through the drills, laughing, sweating, and clapping our encouragement to one another.

We got a great workout in our upper bodies (passing and shooting), in endurance (running sprints and doing defensive slides across the court), and with balance and flexibility. It was a full-body and mind workout and the time flew by. We were tired, but proud of ourselves.

But it wasn't over yet. Our final test of endurance was sprinting back and forth across the gym! Andrew told us we could walk, jog, or run--it didn't matter, but we needed to push ourselves to build ourselves up.

As we closed, many spoke about how important the clinic had been, how close they felt to each other and how much fun they had in the clinic that day. We walked out together into the sunshine, feeling strong and proud.

After several months off for the summer, we met on the third week of September and our theme was Confidence. As Lynn explained, it's common to lose confidence in our bodies after breast cancer. Our clinic's theme was an opportunity to rebuild trust in ourselves and our bodies through support and exercise. Andrew added that in basketball, team players build a trustful relationship with their teammates, with their skills, and with themselves.

We had a good turnout with some new and returning participants. In our circle time, each woman was asked to introduce herself, explain briefly about her stage of cancer recovery, and set a goal based on confidence for the clinic: some goals included "trusting myself; to be confident with others; to stretch and work hard; to make more baskets."

Andrew put us through drills for strength and flexibility. We dribbled and passed; we had lay-up lines and raced to make more baskets. As in recent clinics, the group moved quickly through the drills, laughing, sweating, and clapping to encourage each other.

We got a great workout in our upper bodies (passing and shooting), in endurance (running sprints and doing defensive slides across the court) and with balance and flexibility. It was a full-body and mind workout and the time flew by.

As we closed, many spoke about how much fun they had in the clinic. One woman shared that this was her "therapy" because after each clinic she felt more whole and grounded. Andrew promised us that next month, we will go even further!