Exercise and Thrive: Getting back to you

Exercise and Thrive is the result of a multi-year partnership between YMCA of the USA and the Lance Armstrong Foundation in response to the growing body of evidence that physical activity can improve cancer survivor’s quality of life, lessen treatment side effects and help recovery.

“Exercise and Thrive fills the void from the end of active treatment,” says Heather, Senior Program Director at the Briggs YMCA in Olympia. “People are given the confidence they need to use their bodies after treatment. This lets people know that exercise is safe and that they can do things that they did before the cancer.” Participants will receive support and coaching from professional YMCA staff and volunteers as well as social support from other survivors.

Additional Information

• Must have medical clearance for their doctor or nurse practitioner to participate.
• Cancer survivors must have completed active treatment.
• All participants will receive a free 12-week South Sound YMCA membership, which includes access to both South Sound YMCA facilities.
• After completing the program, participants will be offered the opportunity to join the South Sound YMCA without paying a joining fee.

The South Sound YMCA is excited about partnering with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to provide this amazing opportunity in Thurston County. The initiative is a key component of Activate America®, the YMCA’s bold approach to directly address our nation’s growing health crisis. Through Activate America, the YMCA is redefining itself and engaging communities across the country to provide better opportunities for people of all ages in their pursuit of health and well-being in spirit, mind, and body.

Olympia Downtown YMCA 
510 Franklin Street SE
Olympia, WA 98501
(360) 357-6609
Class Days: Tuesdays and Saturdays
Class Time: Tues: 6:30-8 pm, Sat. 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Class Session: September 11—December 1, 2012
For additional information, please contact Member Services at 360.357.6609

Briggs Community YMCA
1530 Yelm Highway SE
Olympia, WA 98501
(360) 753-6576
Class Days: Mondays and Wednesdays
Class Time: 2:00 p.m.—3:30 p.m.
Class Session: September 10—November 28, 2012
For additional information, please contact Member Services at 360.753.6576

Do you have chemobrain?

Editor's Note: PRCS is posting the following post on behalf of the University of Washington Memory Health Program.

Are you a cancer survivor who is struggling with concentration, word and name recall, or keeping track of things? You are not alone.

Millions of cancer survivors are living with memory or thinking difficulties often referred to as “chemobrain.” Many survivors find this impairment so severe that it interferes with basic activities of daily living.

The prevalence of chemobrain is hard to pin down, with estimates of cancer patients affected ranging from about 14 percent to as high as 85 percent. While researchers agree that its occurrence is much more dependent on the type of treatment than on the specific type of cancer, little is known about who is most likely to suffer a long-term deficit or how to guard against it. Source.

At the University of Washington Memory Health Program, we are searching for new ways to address daily thinking difficulties in cancer survivors. We are conducting workshops to learn how to improve thinking and memory abilities. In the workshops, we provide resources and offer practical, everyday solutions.

This program consists of 7 one-hour group-based workshops and pre- and post-workshop memory tests. If the group-based memory skills workshops are effective, participants may experience improved thinking abilities. Additionally, taking part in research provides participants with a unique opportunity to contribute to new ways of promoting health and treating disorders.

We generally hold our workshops in Seattle, but we are currently searching for eligible participants in the South Sound so that we can conduct workshops in Olympia or Tacoma. If you are interested in participating (in Seattle or South Sound), please contact us at (206) 277-1041 or toll free at 866-577-1913 or email us at wellness@uw.edu.

From Hollywood back to Olympia, PRCS welcomes new member

Focus on Oncology Massage: Oncology massage offers support to patients going through cancer treatment and recovery by providing a non-invasive, nurturing, gentle touch. Working with a trained therapist may help relieve pain, nausea, fatigue, anxiety, and depression.

Introducing Cherie Hankal, LMP Born and raised in and around the Pacific Northwest, Cherie Hankal moved to Hollywood, CA right out of high school.

In Los Angeles Cherie fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming an actor by studying at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. However, it was behind the camera where she found her niche working in production of commercials, television shows, and films, most notably as an assistant director on “Cheers” and “Seinfeld.”

But when her mother was diagnosed with cancer she returned to the Pacific Northwest. Cherie feels it was a gift to be able to give love, care and support back to the woman who raised her.

The experience of assisting with her mother’s treatment gave Cherie the desire to serve more people.

She enrolled in the Massage Program at University of Western States Chiropractic College in Portland, Oregon, with the intent of specializing in Oncology Massage. Her training included various massage modalities along with the required science. In addition, she had the honor of participating in an internship offered by Northwest Cancer Specialists in Portland.

Cherie is thrilled to be joining the team at Providence Integrative Cancer Care. She looks forward to bringing gentle comfort to people in treatment for cancer through the use of massage.

Starting this September Cherie will provide oncology massage on:

• Mondays at Providence Regional Cancer System- Centralia
• Tuesdays at Providence Regional Cancer System- Lacey

For more information or to schedule your appointment call either 360.754.3934 or 1.800.883.8990; option 3, followed by option 5

To find out why training in Oncology Massage is so important to a cancer patient’s safety, click here to read a short article by Gayle MacDonald, author of Medicine Hands: Massage Therapy for People with Cancer.

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What does a patient navigator do?

What do you do?
Believe it or not, I get this question a lot. “What does a patient navigator do?”

I’m the person that takes all the stuff that gets in the way, out of the way, so you can get the care you need.

I used to be a runner. I didn’t do hurdles, but I remember always thinking, how do they do that?

Imagine us standing at the starting line, staring down the track at the rows of hurdles. I know you’re wondering, “How do I get over these?” But then you hear me say, “Wait a second,” as I walk down the track and remove each hurdle before walking back to the starting line so we can walk down your path together.

But what does that really look like?
When I become your patient navigator I can see the clinic schedule as well as what drugs you are taking. This allows me to populate my calendar with dates I know, from experience, you will most likely be experiencing side-effects. In my opinion, side effects can be one of the most scary things...what’s “normal” and to be expected and what’s not?

We’ll talk about your treatment experience. If necessary, we’ll get you back into the doctor, which starts with another phone call I make to your doctor’s nurse.

Going through any change alone, let alone treating your cancer, is tough. That’s why I’m here. Don’t be afraid to call. I can help you work through the obstacles but I can also just talk. Sometimes it’s nice to just think out loud with someone. That someone is me.

Boosting your gut - Probiotics and chemotherapy

There’s a good body of research around probiotics helping with the side-effects of cancer treatment—especially those currently undergoing chemotherapy.

What are probiotics?
Formally, probiotics are live microorganisms existing in the human body. Informally, probiotics are the good bacteria found in our gut. While that may seem harsh, consider this. When our bodies are functioning correctly there is actually more good bacteria living inside us than there are actual human cells.

So how does this affect chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is like a really big antibiotic treatment. Its mission is to try and kill as many rapidly dividing “things” in our body—which, unfortunately, includes probiotics. This is a common reason why those undergoing chemotherapy suffer from diarrhea.

There is evidence that a huge dose of probiotics following a chemotherapy session could reinvigorate your gut helping to get your body back on track.

Probiotics is in no way a universal cure for cancer, but it can drastically help the person going through the cancer.

If you think probiotics can help you talk with your doctor about how to safely build probiotics into your cancer treatment plan.

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