Recovering from cancer can be a lonely and confusing time, but adjusting to life after the disease does not have to be done alone.

Our Clubhouse, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit, is starting five Living Life Post Cancer Treatment programs this fall, including one at UPMC Passavant Cranberry that begins Wednesday.

The program is for adult survivors of cancer who have completed treatment within the last two years, said Colleen Dwyer, of Our Clubhouse. Each class starts with 30 minutes of light exercise, followed by a meal and a presentation by an expert.

“This program makes you feel like you're not alone and that's empowering,” said Kathy Batykefer, cancer survivor.

Batykefer participated in Our Clubhouse's Living Life Post Cancer Treatment program in the spring.

“Cancer raises a lot of issues in your mind,” Batykefer said. “It changes your priorities. It makes you look at life differently. It was good to be together as a group. All the women in that room had cancer, some had different kinds.”

The classes will be held each Wednesday for nine weeks starting at 6 p.m. Sept. 20 at UPMC Passavant Cranberry.

Formerly known as Gilda's Club Western Pennsylvania, Our Clubhouse provides free social and emotional support to anyone touched by cancer, Dwyer said. Our Clubhouse mainly does programs within its two locations in Pittsburgh and Greensburg, but it started branching out recently into the community to put on programs like Living Life Post Cancer Treatment.

“It's for survivors,” Dwyer said. “We like to get people within the first two years because it's still so raw. A lot of people describe it as trying to find a new normal. We made this program because people came to us saying they were a bit lost.”

The presentations during each class are given by oncologists, nutritionists and other professionals in related fields. While it starts with a PowerPoint program, the presentation is laid back and informal and allows for questions and discussion in the group along the way.

Dwyer said there will be two presentations on nutrition where participants will learn about the basics of good nutrition and what cancer patients in particular need to eat.

Another session will be on medical management; an oncologist will speak about side effects, who to talk to about aches, pains and other concerns, what kind of follow-up exams to expect and where to find good information.

Batykefer said the information was “very much tuned into what we were doing and different issues we had.”

She would recommend the program to anyone.

“Your scans may come back clear, but (cancer) is always in the background. Programs like Our Clubhouse help to give you that strength and make you feel like you're not a victim,” Batykefer said. “You have a certain amount of control should you choose to exert it.”

To register for the program or get more information, call Our Clubhouse at 412-338-1919 or email Colleen Dwyer at cdwyer@ourclubhouse.org.