Believe in You: Cancer Survivors Train for the Dolphins Cancer Challenge
Sylvester program helps cancer patients prepare for the annual run and bike ride with training regimen and community.
When Karen Wilford first battled breast cancer in 2008, her doctors ordered chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. She remembers being told she’d lose her hair and was given a wig and makeup to help her feel better.
Things were noticeably different when the cancer returned as stage 4 a few years ago.
“I got a letter authorizing me to work out,” said Wilford. “Today, there’s an awareness that you can do the things you did before. It might change the way you do it, but it doesn’t stop you.”
A Cancer Patient Wellness Program
Her oncologist at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, told her about a wellness program for cancer survivors called Believe in You. Wilford signed up this year, joining 160 other survivors in the program that launched three years ago with only a handful of participants. They spend five months training to complete a 5K or bike ride in the Dolphins Cancer Challenge, the NFL’s largest fundraiser that has raised $90 million since 2010 to support cancer research at Sylvester.
“It started because so many Sylvester patients wanted to participate in the Dolphins Cancer Challenge, but they didn’t feel they could do it,” said Believe in You program director Paola Rossi, M.D., clinical program director of lifestyle medicine at Sylvester. “We’ve fixed that! I haven’t met any participant who has started our program and doesn’t feel like they found a community and can get healthier and stronger together. Everyone who comes feels empowered, and that’s the true magic of the program.”
Exercise’s Anti-cancer Benefits
With training sites in Miami-Dade and Broward, Believe in You gives survivors and their chosen companions complimentary access to Saturday workouts at a park and a slew of virtual weekday classes ranging from strength training and cardio to nutrition and yoga. Led by five trainers and 10 program assistants, participants are given resistance bands and weights to use at home.
“It has been proven that exercise helps manage a lot of the symptoms that might come from cancer or cancer treatments like fatigue and anxiety, improving quality of life,” Dr. Rossi said. “It also is proven that exercise reduces the probability of new cancer appearing or cancer coming back.”
There also is a weekly newsletter and WhatsApp group filled with exercise and nutrition tips, a Zumba meetup and a practice 5k and breakfast with medical providers that encourages bonding outside the clinic.
“Many survivors are looking for what they can do next to reduce their risk of cancer coming back, and we know lifestyle modifications like exercise and healthy eating can reduce those risks, but many survivors don’t know where to start or know what is safe and not safe,” said program founder Tracy Crane, Ph.D., RDN, director of lifestyle medicine, prevention and digital health at Sylvester.
Part of the Race
While most referrals to the program come from Sylvester doctors, it is open to all survivors and their support person, regardless of where they received treatment or what stage of the journey they are in, so long as they have medical clearance. The majority have completed treatment, but some are in the midst of it.
“We have patients who may not to be cured, but they are participating because they are able to exercise and eat better and these things do make a difference in having the best quality of life,” Dr. Crane said. “In the past we would say that people are raising money or walking for someone else, but now survivors are in the race with us, and that’s what we are training them to do – be a part of the race and live as healthy a lifestyle as possible.”
For Wilford, 63, the benefits have been enormous. In the beginning, the instructor asked participants to raise one arm and the opposite leg simultaneously.
“I thought, ‘Are you kidding me?’ But she meant it,” Wilford said. “Guess what? I can do it now!”
She also has less fatigue.
“You might go into exercise feeling wiped out, but coming out, you have all kinds of energy even though you’ve just worked out!”
Camaraderie
Simone Scott, 52, is a cervical cancer survivor who makes it a point not to miss a workout with her group at a Pinecrest Park. She most values the camaraderie.
“I really enjoy the group I’m with,” Scott said. “Everybody, no matter what type of cancer they’ve had, has gone through something, so you’re comfortable. Everyone is encouraging and understands. We talk about silly things and find out about one another’s lives, our dogs and cats and kids. No matter how cold it is or if it’s raining, we are all happy to be around one another.”
Dr. Crane’s goal is to continue to grow the program. She’d love to see 500 people training among four sites.
“The social support and community building and how that has grown is something I could not fully appreciate when we first launched Believe in You,” Dr. Crane said. “The Dolphins Cancer Challenge is the culmination of all the weeks of training, and it’s a celebration. It makes my heart happy every time I see a survivor cross the finish line.”
Tags: Believe in You – You Are Living Proof, breast cancer, Cervical cancer, DCC, dolphins cancer challenge, Dr. Paola Rossi, Dr. Tracy Crane, lifestyle medicine, nutrition, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center