BROUGHT low by surgery and chemotherapy for bowel cancer, South Fremantle local Deb Thame was housebound by fatigue and at a low ebb in her life.

But a chance talk with a friend involved in research at Joondalup Campus inspired her to sign up for the WA Cancer Council’s exercise program. “She said if exercise was a pill, everyone would be on it.”

Research by Professor Rob Newton is finding “radical improvement in fatigue levels” and improved survival rates for those who exercise.

“At some level [it is] holding tumours back,” Mrs Thame says.

Keen to try to exercise her way to better health, she had reservations about attending a regular gym, where staff would be unfamiliar with the needs of those recovering from cancer.

“When this program came up I didn’t know there was an exercise physiology degree, but someone with a four-year degree I would trust.”

Fitness levels improved slowly at first when Mrs Thames started the cancer council’s 12-week course: “I found such a difference in my health and stamina and what I could do.”

Filled with confidence and the knowledge of what sort of weight-bearing exercises were most beneficial, she was able to continue exercising at home after the course finished.

Unfortunately, 10 years after her initial bowel cancer was treated, and a section of her bowel had been removed, tests have found secondaries in her liver and lungs, necessitating a return to treatment.

But Mrs Thame is determined to continue exercising to give herself the best chance: “The average life expectancy is 23 months, I have survived longer than that and am very grateful.”
A staunch Christian she says her belief has helped her remain strong: ”We are all going to die one day and it’s in God’s hand when. You choose your attitude when you have cancer.

The cancer council’s Life Now Exercise program is tailor-made for people diagnosed within the past two years who

are undergoing or have completed cancer treatment. The program is run at a variety of centres including Hilton. For more info go to cancerwa.asn.au/healthy-living-after-cancer

by JENNY D’ANGER