At the YMCA of Greater Rochester, recovery means more than rebuilding strength. It means rebuilding confidence — made possible by meaningful relationships with our staff, especially our Personal Training staff.
As a longtime YMCA member, Lynn Ryan has always made her health a priority. After undergoing knee replacement surgery in May 2025, she leaned on her Y community at our Sands Family YMCA to help her come back stronger than ever.
Lynn’s Y story began years ago when her children, Jennifer and Sean, were young. She brought them to the Y to take advantage of Child Watch while she worked out. As her family grew up with the Y, it became more than a place to exercise.
“With my kids growing up at the Y, they swam for the Bay View Family YMCA, and it really became a part of our community growing up,” said Lynn. “The Y has been a really big part of my family, and it’s kept us healthy in the meantime.”
Beyond swimming at the Bay View Branch, Lynn’s children attended YMCA Camp Cory and later returned as counselors, deepening her family’s connection to the community that had supported them from the start. Even after they grew up, Lynn continued coming to the Y; it had become part of her daily life.
Following her surgery, recovery presented new challenges, and she leaned on her Y community in a whole new way. Lynn faced a loss of muscle and range of motion, but as an avid skier, she was motivated from the start to rebuild her strength and return to the slopes.
As she worked through recovery on her own, she realized she didn’t have to and found the guidance and encouragement she needed at the Y. Determined to make meaningful progress, Lynn knew she needed more than her own willpower; she needed the expertise and steady support of a personal trainer to move her recovery forward. That’s when Amy Jo Bugenhagen, Health & Wellness Director at the Sands Family YMCA, stepped in with a plan tailored to Lynn’s goals. From lifting 15-pound weights before surgery to 25-pound weights today, Lynn’s progress reflects not only her hard work but the power of the Y community.
While Lynn’s knee was healing, something else was strengthening too — a connection built on trust and shared commitment.
“Working with Amy Jo, she pushed me and encouraged me and put me to places that I didn’t really think I could go,” expressed Lynn “The teamwork that we have together is why I am able to do what I am able to do now.”
Next up is a big ski trip Lynn has been eagerly anticipating — and this time, she’s heading to the slopes with confidence. Thanks to her personal training journey at the Y with Amy Jo, she’s no longer questioning whether she can handle the same runs. She knows she can.
At the YMCA, we are stronger together. Lynn’s journey is proof of what’s possible with the right support.