Sally Grover barely could lift her 8-pound cat when she completed her round of treatments for lung cancer in early November.

That was unacceptable. The Yarmouth resident is heavily involved in community affairs, including the Freeport Players. Grover, 74, has much too much to do.

Always on top of things, Grover noticed that the Casco Bay Branch of the YMCA was offering a 12-week Livestrong program focusing on physical activity and general well-being. Last Thursday, she and five “classmates” celebrated their completion of the program with healthy food, awards and fellowship. Trainers Brittney Barr and Wayne Clark were on hand at the YMCA for the event, as were family members and friends.

“Now, picking (the cat) up is no problem, and loads of other things aren’t, either,” Grover said during Thursday’s party. “I am so much more able to do things. It’s amazing.”

The YMCA offers Livestrong in conjunction with the Livestrong Foundation, started by cycling champion Lance Armstrong, though he is no longer involved. The free, 12-week program involves two, 75-minute sessions per week, and is designed to help cancer survivors regain their strength.

Barr, who works as a personal trainer for the YMCA, took a two-day course to learn the Livestrong program last August. She is looking forward to the next session, which begins on April 29 for a new group of people.

She and Clark tailor the classes for each participant, depending on his or her condition.

“The exercises in general you have to change,” Barr said. “Everyone has a different starting point. You have to teach them as beginners. A lot of them have different goals, too. Some have to learn to walk without catching their breath every 30 seconds.”

Barr and Clark strive to increase their students’ endurance, and build muscle.

“It’s a commitment,” she said. “We do cardio, weight and strength exercises, a nutrition class, Zumba, free weights and more.”

The Livestrong graduates have a clear sense of pride.

“It’s nice to hear from them that they’re feeling better,” Barr said. “They’re very appreciative, too. It’s a really good feeling. It’s one of my favorite parts of my job.”

Grover, who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, was having a difficult time breathing when the weather turned humid and pollen filled the air last June.

“That week just drained me, and I was feeling absolutely awful,” she said.

Grover’s doctor examined her, and she wound up staying in the hospital for three days.

“The oxygen level in my blood was unbelievably low,” she said. “I went home and felt better. Fortunately, my doctor always asks for a follow-up X-ray.”

Grover, who acts, manages auditions, handles box office and is on the board of directors for Freeport Players, is also involved in Freeport First Fridays, and volunteers with the Yarmouth Clam Festival. Since the festival was just around the corner, Grover waited until late July to have the X-rays, which showed a shadow on her right lung. Doctors discovered a tumor, and Grover began chemotherapy and radiation treatments in September.

“It shrank the size of the tumor in half, which is excellent,” she said. “There’s a very slim chance of it going away, but if it just stays the way it is, I can live with it a few more years.”

Grover said she smoked while she was in her 20s, but doctors determined that had nothing to do with the cancer.

Now, Grover is back on track.

“All of us, basically, wanted to regain our strength and our stamina,” she said. “The treatments just knock the stuffing right out of you.”

Grover and the other five Livestrong graduates must make room for another group, but that doesn’t mean they can’t continue to benefit from the program. Grover said she will become a member of the Y, and continue her workouts.

A widow for 11 years, Grover lives alone. She taught school, and worked for a time at Skillins Greenhouse.

“I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up,” she said.

Sally Grover proudly holds up a T-shirt given last Thursday to the eight people who went through the 12-week Livestrong program for people with cancer, at the Casco Bay Branch of the YMCA of Southern Maine in Freeport.