Cancer Patients and Fitness
Memorial Introduces a Wellness Program Tailored to Their Needs
March 2001 — As a long-distance truck driver, R.J. Miller would routinely cover 600 miles in a single day without getting tired. But when he had his prostate removed last June, the subsequent radiation therapy left him so weak that he could barely walk around the block, much less return to his job on the open road.
"The operation was a piece of cake, but afterward, it was hard to find the strength to walk again. You've got to be determined," says Miller, who lives in Hollywood.
Things changed for the better when Memorial Regional Fitness & Rehabilitation Center launched a new cancer recovery program last January. Designed to meet the special needs of cancer patients during and after treatment, the free program consists of nutrition counseling, exercise, relaxation techniques, and social support.
"Our program is unique to Florida and one of the few programs offered nationwide," says Tracy Herzog, Director. "Exercise physiologists, stress reduction specialists, registered dietitians, and fitness instructors meet with every patient, and we tailor each component of the class to the individual's needs."
The personalized plan meant a great deal to Miller. While he had no trouble maintaining his weight after his radiation therapy, he was eager for a structured exercise regimen that would bring back his energy.
Miller signed up for the eight-week program and improved rapidly. These days, when the rugged-looking 60-year-old isn't outside water skiing, he's working out on the fitness center's lat machine to strengthen his abs, which were weakened by the surgical incisions from his operation last summer. It's a dramatic comeback that flies in the face of his disease.
"I no longer have any trace of cancer," he says. "People say to me all the time, 'I can't believe you were ever sick."
Taking Inspiration from Others
Many of the program's participants were recruited by Kenny Hanson, a cancer patient who helped coordinate the program for Memorial after he discovered that exercise had made a noticeable difference in his own bout with the disease.
One of his recruits, Gerty Viscomi, was attracted to the program because of its social aspect. A non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patient with diabetes, she had undergone two and a half years of chemotherapy and needed to regain her strength.
"I was tired all the time," she says. "I had a pool at home, so I tried swimming by myself, but it just didn't work. I thought I'd be more motivated to exercise if I had someone to do it with."
Here at the fitness center, Viscomi gets plenty of support from her fellow cancer survivors. "I'm grateful I had good doctors, and I find that talking to these other patients gives me the strength and courage I need to go on. It really builds up my desire to do more to help myself."
Lisa Hibbitts agrees. A soft-spoken woman in her 30s, she always felt too self-conscious to work out at a gym. That all changed when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now, as the youngest member of the cancer recovery program, she's overcome her shyness to become a regular at the fitness center, where she draws inspiration from her fellow cancer survivors, many of whom are twice her age.
"This is my first gym experience, and it's great," she says. "The instructors don't push you, and they give you exactly what you need."
For more information about the Cancer Recovery Program at Memorial Regional Fitness & Rehabilitation Center, please call (954) 265-5800. All participants in this program must be interviewed and examined prior to joining.