By Johanna Baidya | Gwinnett Medical Center and the YMCA of Metro Atlanta are teaming up to offer a special exercise program for cancer survivors to help maintain and improve their overall state of wellness during and after treatment. Called GMC at the Y, the program also aims to help survivors lower their risk of recurrence, a key concern for those who have had cancer. The program also aims to improve the strength, stamina, and health of those with active cancer.
Through a program developed by the YMCA, cancer survivors who are treated at the Cancer Institute at GMC will now have access to special exercise assistance tailored for cancer survivors. This program will be in place at all metro Atlanta YMCAs.
GMC-affiliated oncologist Kevin Peacock, MD says: “There are varying phases of cancer treatment and recovery that have physical and emotional implications. Exercise helps with the prevention of some forms of cancer and helps cancer patients cope. Exercise effectively addresses anxiety, fatigue and weight gain – all of which are common side effects of cancer recovery. Research shows exercise plays a vital role in helping cancer survivors feel better and more in control of their health,” he said.
Survivors also will have free access, as do all YMCA members, to the metro YMCA’s unique Coach Approach®, an exercise support process in which a wellness coach helps a person stay on track with an individualized physical activity program. The Coach Approach was developed by James Annesi, Ph.D., director of wellness advancement for the YMCA of Metro Atlanta.
Kristin McEwen, senior vice president for the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, says: “Partnering with the Cancer Institute at Gwinnett Medical Center on this program is such a natural fit for us. With the YMCA’s accessible, community-based support centers throughout metro Atlanta and programs like The Coach Approach, we can help so many cancer survivors improve their quality of life through exercise and restore hope to them and their families.”
In 2012, the American Cancer Society issued guidelines about the importance of exercise during and after treatment. The cancer agency said that exercise has been shown to reduce risk of recurrence and may even reduce mortality in some cancers, such as breast, ovarian, prostate and colorectal cancers. These guidelines also suggest that exercise during treatment helps combat fatigue and may even be linked to a better completion rate for chemotherapy.
In years past, cancer survivors were happy to simply live. Now, however, as decades of research has indicated that they may face a multitude of health problems as a result of their cancer and its treatments, survivors and those who treat them have come to understand that their medical needs are different from the general population of the same age. They are often at heightened risk for secondary cancers and recurrence of their original cancer.
For its part, the YMCA leadership knew that cancer survivors were working out at their facilities, but that members were not necessarily telling the staff that they are survivors and might have certain needs.
Thus, Gwinnett Medical Center and YMCA leadership saw a natural alliance and moved to collaborate.
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