Case Studies

Emily was diagnosed in July 2020 with invasive ductal breast cancer. She was prescribed 8 rounds of chemotherapy, alongside biological therapies. At the time of chatting, Emily had 3 weeks of chemotherapy left before she was due to have a lumpectomy, radiotherapy, and hormone treatment. Emily felt she was three quarters through a marathon.

In addition to the challenges of treatment, COVID had brought additional stresses to her and the family in terms of shielding, keeping her children off school and the levels of support available outside the family. Despite all these challenges, Emily was keen to try and maintain the best physical and mental health possible throughout her treatment.

Emily heard about CanRehab Trust from a family member who had been diagnosed with breast cancer earlier in the year. Emily was contacted to discuss the support that could be provided, understand her needs and reassure her about the benefit of the sessions, allaying any concerns.

Emily was linked with one of our registered instructors, Alex, who provided an exercise programme tailored to her needs. Emily hugely valued the support that Alex has provided, with large amounts of empathy and understanding. Although Emily found it helpful to commit to an exercise programme, she never felt under any pressure. Emily felt this support was vital in ensuring that she remained active during chemotherapy.

Going through chemotherapy can feel like a rollercoaster and Alex adapted the sessions accordingly. Some days, when Emily felt a bit like a ‘zombie’, Alex would allow her more time to chat and adapt the exercise time to her energy levels. The sessions felt like a protected space for Emily and the emotional support was invaluable. Alex provided her with a listening ear, helping Emily process information by talking through what was happening. With Alex’s encouragement, Emily also included a number of walks each week in her programme.

As a result of this support, Emily has been protected from being too sedentary. She feels she has a more healthy lifestyle and positive mindset, which has helped her cope with the side effects of chemotherapy. Emily now feels equipped to take the next steps to both recover from the effects of chemotherapy and improve her fitness and wellbeing.

Emily would recommend this support to anyone who has had a cancer diagnosis. She believes that this programme has helped her cope better with the treatment and has given her energy when she was struggling with fatigue.

"Having had a lumpectomy and then gone through radiotherapy during lock down, I was feeling pretty traumatised and very unsure about what I could and should be doing from an exercise point of view.

I had been given a leaflet with some standard exercises but that was it. Having someone like Kelly, my instructor, who has lots of experience with cancer rehab was a game changer - both in terms of being able to guide me through a range of exercises designed to address my issues, but also in providing encouragement and support through what were a challenging few weeks and months. Zoom was great as it meant I knew she could see how I was doing from week to week which helped build my confidence to start exercising independently again and meant that I could seek her advice on what I should and shouldn't be doing. I was also very grateful for her company and positivity - it made a tremendous difference to my mood and outlook.

I would absolutely recommend CanRehab Trust to anyone trying to recover from post-operative issues and treatment. “