The Toowoomba Hospital Foundation has partnered with The Fit Lab Health and Fitness Centre to help women diagnosed with Breast Cancer to get back into the gym and make exercise a key part of their recovery journey thanks to a generous donation from Colour of Change.
The ‘Combat Cancer with Fitness’ program is a 12-week strength and aerobic training program specially designed to improve the health and wellbeing of patients post-treatment. CEO of the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation Alison Kennedy said this program wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Fitzgibbon Family and their Colour of Change Luncheon. “We are incredibly grateful to have such a generous community who support the Colour of Change Luncheon each year and we can’t thank the Fitzgibbon family enough for their continued support of the Foundation,” she said. “The ‘Combat Cancer with Fitness’ program is incredibly important as it gives breast cancer patients undergoing cancer care at Darling Downs Health the option to embrace exercise in their recovery without the extra financial burden. With thanks to a $20,000 donation from Colour of Change we are able to cover the costs of up to 40 patients per year over the next two years to undertake the program which is just amazing.”
Darling Downs Health cancer care physiotherapist Angela Zammit said there is a strong body of evidence to support the role of exercise alongside mainstream treatment in cancer management. “Exercise has benefits at every stage of the disease, whether a patient’s cancer is cured, in remission, advanced or a chronic disease they are living with,” she said. “It helps those affected by cancer feel better mentally, emotionally & physically and increases their chances of survival by: maintaining their fitness, assisting in weight management, improving mood and self-esteem, and reducing treatment side-effects such as pain, fatigue, and deconditioning.”
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