YStories

Members of Interest and Inspiration

Our members have some great stories, and we want to share them with you! This page is devoted to sharing the interesting and inspiring life experiences of our members. We're sure there are many stories out there, so we hope you'll fill us in. And please consider the many ways you can join us in helping to make a positive impact in the community. Learn more about volunteering and getting involved with your Y.

Changing lives, one swimsuit at a time

Nelson Vargas spent many years swimming in his native Mexico. Not just swimming — competing at the highest level as a member of the Mexican national swim team. The water has always been a big part of who he is, and it seems to run in the family; his brother competed for Mexico as part of national water polo team.

Since those days swimming for his native country, he has founded an aquatic apparel business, Q Swimwear, with his brother, and has moved back and forth from Mexico to the U.S. Of course, he’s still swimming, now as part of the Mission Valley YMCA Masters Swim program. But Nelson wasn’t satisfied just "swimming."

After morning practices with the masters program, Nelson would see dozens of kids from two Linda Vista elementary schools — part of the Y’s Physical Education Outreach program — shuttling in and out of the indoor pool at Mission Valley. Unfortunately, many of them are unable to afford bathing suits, so he watched as kids learned to swim in cut jeans, shorts, pants, etc. Perhaps seeing himself in these young, overwhelmingly Hispanic youth,

Nelson wanted to make sure these young people had the proper tools to learn swimming and, hopefully, excel. So without being asked or approached, he donated more than 450 Q Swimwear youth swimsuits of all sizes, which are being distributed in conjunction with Carson Elementary School. — posted 4/12

Thank you, Nelson, for your generosity
and your commitment to our community.

Meet our members

The Knitters

Jacob Thater

"Youth & Government made me more confident in public speaking, which has already helped me in college. I wouldn’t have had the opportunities I’ve had without the Y." Read more...

More Y Stories

The Knitters

If you’re ever at Hazard Center, you may happen upon a growing group of ladies with a shared interest. They don’t come to work out on the treadmill or take a yoga class, though some do that on their own. They come to spend time with each other, trade stories — and knit. Read more...

Jacob Thater

Jacob Thater is relatively new to San Diego and, while it hasn’t been easy, he’s made it his home and taken advantage of all the opportunities that have come his way.

After a fire wiped out their home in Seattle, Jacob and his mother moved here to San Diego. Jacob enrolled at Mark Twain High School and worked summers at San Diego Ice Arena, where he was introduced to Mission Valley YMCA via the summer day camps that visited the ice-skating facility.

During his senior year at Twain, student adviser Mr. Feinberg asked Jacob if he’d be interested in participating in YMCA Youth & Government, a statewide program that introduces high school students to the mechanics of government. In addition to learning about policy-making and the law, the program culminates in a conference of the 2,000+ statewide delegates in Sacramento. Although Jacob was interested in Youth & Government, his mother has been unemployed for years, and his family couldn’t afford the cost of the program. Thanks to the Y’s fund-raising efforts, there are a limited number of full scholarships available, and Jacob was recommended for one. The rest, as they say, is history.

Not only did Jacob participate in Youth & Government, he excelled and was one of the leaders of the San Diego "Super Delegation" in Sacramento. Also, he was awarded a scholarship to participate in the Y’s SAT Prep Course. Then, he graduated as valedictorian from Twain High School.

And that’s only the beginning. Jacob works part-time for PRYDE, the Y's after-school gang/drug prevention program. He is a full-time student at UCSD, and is poised to be the first in his family to graduate from college. — posted 1/5/12

"Forget day care and workout machines; the Y changes lives and I’m proof of that."

Peter Attia

At first glance, Peter Attia looks like your average, physically fit, 38-year-old. And he is. What you might not realize is how healthy he really is and what he ate to get there.

Peter has been an athlete most of his life, although it was only as an adult that he took up swimming. Since then, he’s become one of only a dozen people to swim the Catalina Channel in both directions (Catalina Island to Los Angeles, and separately LA to Catalina), and is the only one so far to cross the Maui Channel (from Maui to Lanai, and back) in one day. Despite his rigorous training schedule — about 3 hours of workouts a day, on average — Peter always felt as though something was missing.

He’s a graduate of Stanford Medical School, a former surgical resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and a former fellow in surgical oncology at the National Cancer Institute. These experiences taught him enough about the body to understand that exercise alone wasn’t enough — nutrition and diet play an even larger role in one’s overall health. After extensive reading and studying, Peter had an epiphany: Fat can be your friend. The key is to teach your body to burn it instead of storing it.

Over the past year, Peter has shifted his diet dramatically to include mostly fat — over 90 percent of his calories, to be exact. He literally eats pounds of cheese, cream, oil, butter and high-fat yogurt every day. His dietary philosophy is based on the idea that certain foods — fats — will reduce his insulin levels, which then allows his body to always burn fat, instead of storing it.

As this diet can seem extreme if not downright dangerous, Peter has been getting rigorous and regular tests at San Diego State University and elsewhere to measure the effect that this very high fat diet has had on his body and overall health. The results have been stunning: Over the past six months, he’s reduced his risk of heart attack and stroke by over 500 percent, his diabetes risk by more than 300 percent, and his risk of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease dramatically, as well. He reduced his body fat from over 20 percent to 7.5 percent and shed 30 pounds, without increasing how much he exercises and without ever being hungry.

You can find Peter in the outdoor pool with the Master’s Swim team or in the weight room doing strength training. And his diet? Bacon, eggs, home-made whip cream… Anyone jealous?

Go Peter Attia's blog:

The War on Insulin and the Defense of Fat

Editor’s Note: Peter has devoted much of his adult life (including his years of medical school and residency) reading and researching nutrition and the human body. Please consult your doctor (as Peter does) before making drastic changes to your diet. — posted 11/14/11

Patricia Poston

Patricia Poston read the stories on this page and was inspired to share her own. This military spouse is living in San Diego for just a year, but has managed to make the most of her health in the last months.

"I have always been big (270 max). I had gastric bypass when I was 19 years old. I lost weight, of course, but I wasn't fit. I got married and had two babies and weighed 210 pounds. Surgery wasn't a cure-all. In September I joined, and I also enrolled in a nutrition class because it wasn't just about me, it was about my whole family. With the knowledge I learned in my nutrition class and my commitment to come to the Y (Toby Wells) I have lost 45 pounds! I have never, EVER achieved this type of goal before.

I am very diverse with my workouts. I am no longer the girl in elastic pants in the back of the room, too horrified to look at myself. I am the girl in front, shaking her hips at Zumba, doing mountain climbers and bicep curls in TBW, doing core strengthening in Pilates or just breathing and stretching in yoga.

My two girls love going to Kid's Place when I work out, and they enjoy all of the staff. I love how the staff knows them by name and welcomes them every time we come in. The staff at the desk are so nice and beautiful (inside and out), and all the fitness trainers are amazing, because they are down to earth and friendly.

Going there is a must for me now, or else I don't feel like my day has been completed. The YMCA is amazing. Over the holidays, my family and I went out of town, and we utilized the local Y.

I wish I knew of you guys sooner because we are departing San Diego in March. I WILL be joining YMCA at our next home. So ... THANK YOU, for you were my first Y and I will continue to be a member no matter where the military takes us!" — posted 2/16/11

Cheryl Anderson

Cheryl Andersen has been a foster parent for more than a decade. She’s been a mother, teacher, counselor, and mentor for dozens of young people of all ages. She’s worked hard to provide a sense of normalcy for children in a situation that’s anything but, and as long as she can remember, Mission Valley YMCA’s summer camps have been a large part of that.

Two of her daughters attended camp starting as young as 7 years old; both are now older and still fondly remember their years in YMCA summer camps. Sonia, now 18, attended a wide variety of camps over the years including Leader-in-Training, and even went to Raintree Ranch, the YMCA’s overnight horse riding camp in Julian.

Wanting to give her foster kids the same type of experience, Cheryl has enrolled more than 50 of her foster kids in summer day camp at Mission Valley YMCA since 1997. She explains, "Because of the constant change and upheaval, view of the world is usually very narrow for foster kids. Going to camp and socializing with kids their own age often helps to change that. Whether attending resident camp in the mountains of Julian, learning gymnastics, or going to Disneyland on a field trip, most of the kids are doing it for the first time," she explains. "And it’s not just the activities. Some of my foster kids have been through a lot, physically and emotionally, and can be a handful. It’s obvious that the staff care, and they go out of their way to make them feel comfortable. Counselors learn the kids’ names on the first day, and that familiarity is something these kids don’t often get."

Acknowledging the financial commitment, Cheryl has relied on the YMCA’s program assistance, which provides need-based "scholarships" for people who may be unable to afford camp. "I always look for grants and funding from a variety of sources, but when that hasn’t worked out, Mission Valley YMCA has been there to help out. The financial support from the YMCA has been invaluable."

For some of her foster kids, summer camp is about more than the experience. One young man came to Cheryl with a weight problem that was impacting his health. At 10 years old, he was 195 pounds and had developed severe hip problems. Having counted on Mission Valley YMCA’s camps before, she enrolled him at the beginning of the summer and by the end, he had lost sixty pounds and reached the desired weight prescribed by his doctors.

Jennifer Whitton

Jen Whitton joined the YMCA in 2005 to get into shape. Not a regular exerciser or a natural athlete, she was anxious about going to a gym. By her own estimation, she was overweight, and while she wanted to get into shape, she was terrified to work out in a traditional "gym" setting, regularly coaxing friends to come with her. It wasn’t until two years ago that Jen started to take getting in shape seriously. Along with a friend, she signed up for Leonard Jones’ Outdoor Boot Camp class. Thanks to the reception she received from staff like Leonard, Jen felt welcome and started taking group exercise classes and working out on her own. Throughout the YMCA, she noticed things that were designed to help make people with little to no fitness experience more comfortable, like instructors offering modified movements and allowing participants to progress at their own pace. Between Step classes at Toby Wells YMCA, Leonard’s Boot Camp, and the Weight Loss For Life TEAM Challenge, Jen felt more comfortable and more at home at Mission Valley YMCA. “It got to the point where friends and staff would ask where I was if I skipped a day!” says Whitton.Fast forward to the present – Jen has lost 95 pounds. She’s expanded her training to the pools and just completed her first triathlon (Mission Bay Triathlon) in October. She has a message for other “health seekers” who, like her, want to get healthy but are afraid to start or don’t know how: “Just do it. Once you get over that initial fear, you realize that the people at the Y are here to help. This is not your average gym.” — posted 11/22/10

John Holman

John Holman has been a member of Mission Valley YMCA since October 1999. While he would most likely describe himself as "average," it only takes a few minutes to realize he's anything but.

On October 9, John will compete in his third Ironman triathlon at Kona. The Ford Ironman World Championship is considered the "Holy Grail" of this popular endurance sport. While impressive on its own, consider this: John Holman was barely treading water six years ago, and now, at 72 years young, he will compete side-by-side with people who are the age of his grand kids!

John played football, rugby and ran track in high school and college, but triathlons weren't on his radar until 10 years ago, when he turned 62. He recognized early that swimming would be his Achilles' heel in a sport that also features cycling and running — he's described his swimming ability as "staying afloat but not going anywhere fast."

Undaunted that, in his mid-60s, he was learning a sport where the average age of participants is 35 to 40, he began working with the Mission Valley YMCA Aquatics Department and coach Alan Voisard, a recognized, Olympic-level swim coach with years of experience.

Now, 10 years since he first started coming to the YMCA, he's participating his eighth triathlon and has no intentions of slowing down. John is further proof that it's never too late to accomplish goals, find
your passion, and live your life.

Best of Luck, John! You are already an inspiration to us all. — posted 10/05/10

Diane Hirakawa

Some people like to swim. Others, like Diane Hirakawa, are passionate about it. But it wasn’t always that way. When exercise-induced asthma forced her to cut back on running and dancing, her doctors suggested swimming. She’s currently a member of the Masters Swim program at Mission Valley YMCA. And while many team members compete throughout the United States, Diane also swims for her health.

Diane has polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a genetic disorder that eventually leads to kidney failure. Unfortunately, her condition is very close to end-stage renal failure, and she’s currently on the University of California–San Diego kidney transplant list for a living kidney. The wait for a cadaver kidney is eight years and, as Diane put it, “I can’t wait that long.”

Of course, people who know Diane or have interacted with her at the Y know that she’s not slowing down. An energetic retired teacher, she continues to drive more than 40 miles, six days a week to lift in the weight room and swim in the outdoor Hazard Pool at Mission Valley because she loves the Masters Swim coaches and the camaraderie.

But she’s not stopping at the pool. Says Diane, "I can’t wait for the indoor spin cycling studio to open up at Mission Valley!” Outside of exercise, she tutors 4th-8th graders in math and volunteers with the Armed Services YMCA at Balboa Naval Hospital.

Diane’s dedication in the pool has paid off. Her doctors continue to be amazed, with one suggesting that she’s is the "poster-child" for people with PKD, the most common, life-threatening genetic disorder in the world. And because it’s genetic, Diane has already made it clear to her sons: "Most people with this disease give up; I can’t, and I won’t let my kids give up either."

If you’re ever looking for Diane Hirakawa at Mission Valley YMCA, start at the outdoor pool and keep an eye out for boundless energy and an inspiring outlook on life. You can’t miss it.

For more information, visit UCSD’s Kidney Transplant Program— posted 11/9/11

Elicia Hill

Elicia Hill’s first association with the YMCA in San Diego came when she was a young girl playing sports. So it’s no surprise that she turned to the YMCA again when her daughter, Mikaila, was entering kindergarten and needed childcare. Since kindergarten, Elicia has enrolled Mikaila (now in 4th grade) in the Character Builders program – formerly known as YMCA Childcare – through Mission Valley YMCA.

As a mom who is working full-time and completing her undergraduate degree at UCSD, Elicia knew that things like before- and after-school care and transportation would play a big role in choosing a kindergarten and, eventually, an elementary school. Unfortunately, money is tight, and childcare is often expensive.

For instances just like these, Mission Valley YMCA offers financial assistance for qualified families. Elicia and her daughter have been receiving a scholarship for the last four years and in mom’s words, it’s been invaluable. "Mikaila would have to leave the magnet program she’s in at Longfellow if it weren’t for the YMCA’s childcare program,” said Elicia.

While the scholarship first got Elicia and Mikaila involved with Mission Valley YMCA’s Character Builder’s program, that’s not what keep them here. Said Elicia: "I get stability and security knowing that Mikaila is safe with staff I know, and is learning while having fun. It’s not a problem if I need to stay late for a class and meet with a professor because I know she’s well taken care of.”Her comfort and faith in the program is another reason that Elicia gives back, volunteering her time during Parent’s Night Out, donating money whenever possible, and being a chaperone during events at the school site. — posted 10/24/10