John, aged 55, was treated for throat cancer in early 2023, and after 35 gruelling radiotherapy sessions and two rounds of chemotherapy, wasn’t physically able to cope with a final round of chemo to complete the treatment. The side effects of the treatment really took a toll on John, who then struggled to eat, drink or swallow. He was, more often than not, exhausted and his physical and mental health suffered as a result.
An electrician by trade, John had an active lifestyle and was physically fit prior to his diagnosis. At an all-time low and desperate to feel better following treatment, John started doing workouts at home using a government factsheet and following YouTube videos. Whilst he did notice some improvements to his health, John knew that this offered very little structure or guidance which was also putting him at risk of injury.
John heard about our cancer rehab programme through the local council’s cancer support services. He joined the waiting list and almost a year later in October 2024, started the free 10-week programme. He openly admits that he didn’t have high hopes for the programme, which to his mind was going to be a generic fitness programme.
However, to John’s surprise, he was assigned to Roy, one of our qualified and experienced cancer rehabilitation instructors. Roy took the time to get to know John and designed a personalised and structured resistance programme to help him improve his functional strength, bone density and muscle development. The programme also included nutritional advice – another key factor to long-term recovery as well as preventing any recurrence of cancer.
Speaking about the programme, John said “The programme was designed around me, and if I struggled with anything, Roy would either try a workaround or move on to something different. The focus was on me and my health, and I looked forward to each session.
“This has been a big learning curve to a better and brighter future. My diagnosis and the treatment that followed came as a huge blow to me both mentally and physically. Now I am physically stronger and on the road to recovery. I also feel mentally stronger – much less anxious and my outlook on life is much more positive.
“I have learned so much on the programme. It has highlighted just how important physical exercise is for my recovery and general health & wellbeing. Diet is also key to recovery and prevention, and I now substitute processed foods for wholefoods, especially those rich in antioxidants.
“I would recommend this programme to anyone recovering from cancer. This, for me, is a life-long lifestyle change and I now have a good structure to my training.
“I genuinely would not be where I am today without this programme and will be forever grateful to YMCA and to Roy for changing my life.”
Since completing the programme, John has maintained a healthier lifestyle through diet and regular exercise. He has steadily increased exercising and feels stronger and better every day. More recently, while John is still recovering, he has felt well enough to return to work part-time.
YMCA’s cancer rehab programme runs for 10 weeks and is free to anyone over the age of 16, living in the area and recovering from cancer.
To find out more about our cancer rehab programme and how you can help us to continue to support people diagnosed with cancer in your local community, visit: www.ymcatg.org.
