By supporting ONJ Cancer Centre through Dry July you will help cancer patients reap the benefits of regular exercise during their treatment and recovery.
International research shows exercise is an effective therapy for cancer patients to improve their overall health and wellbeing while undergoing treatments such as chemotherapy. However, about 60 to 70 per cent of people with cancer do not do enough aerobic exercises and 80 to 90 per cent do not do enough resistance exercises during cancer treatment. People who are more physically active have lower recurrence rates, reduced metastatic rates and a higher chance of beating cancer as a disease.
Diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome in 2016, Lori Crupi’s world became one of chemotherapy, immunotherapy and weekly blood transfusions.
Unfortunately, Lori's treatments stopped being effective and she was left with one last option to save her life - a stem cell transplant. A drastic treatment where all the bone marrow cells in her body had to be destroyed and replaced with healthy donor bone marrow cells, Lori needed to build up her fitness before she could qualify for this treatment.
"My body was tired and frail. By beginning a special exercise program, I could take control over my physical strength. I could build it up to a point where I would be strong enough to have my life-saving stem cell transplant”.
The ONJ Cancer Centre Wellness Gym is just for oncology outpatients and qualified Exercise Physiologists design tailored exercise programs to meet their personal needs and goals. This could include resistance training, aerobic exercise, balance, mobility and functional exercises.
“Exercise was the difference between life and death for me. My exercise program in the Wellness Gym was the turning point for me. It gave me new physical and mental strength, giving me and my family hope. I felt less tired. I felt safe in the expert care of specialist oncology exercise physiologists”
After hard work and dedication, Lori received a stem cell transplant and with continued exercise, she’s decreased the necessity for aggressive tablets from over 30 a day to less than a handful!
By supporting the ONJ Cancer Centre Wellness Gym, you help patients complete their treatment, improve their quality of life and decrease their chance of cancer recurrence.
