Exercise helped me survive cancer

A cancer diagnosis at 60-years-old felt like another cruel blow for Michelle Thompson, who was navigating an already challenging time. The Sydneysider was going through a relationship breakdown, had gained a lot of weight and her arthritis and osteopenia was causing crushing pain in her knees.

"I was lonely and depressed," she recalls. "I could only walk about 5 minutes at a time and had to rely on friends to drive me around. I started cancelling social gatherings because I'd have to ask if there was a lift or escalator."

Michelle was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) after a routine blood test. She was told her case wasn’t aggressive, and she may not see symptoms until her 70s or 80s.

But the diagnosis was a turning point for Michelle, fuelling her determination to take control of her health.

In the past, Michelle had great success in improving her health with Vision Personal Training.

"One night I was really upset and in a lot of pain. I started scrolling through the Vision website and I sent the owner of Vision Wynyard Mandra Taulu an email telling him about the CLL and my health. He asked me to pop in for a chat."

Michelle did some research into what kind of exercise she could do with CLL and realised that if she listened to her body, nothing was off limits.

Growing evidence shows that staying active and having an exercise regime designed to complement medical interventions can lead to more positive outcomes for people with cancer.¹

"I knew I needed to lose weight and get healthy. The hospital had told me that losing weight would need to happen as I'd eventually need knee surgery. I had no reason not to do it."

Despite Michelle's determination, exercise wasn't an overnight solution, and she had to start slowly.

"Vision started me on an exercise and nutritional program, and I began tracking my meals and cooking at home. I'd been working a graveyard shift as a switchboard operator at a hotel and had been eating so unhealthfully, so everything really did need to change."

Michelle's reintroduction to exercise was slow and gentle.

"I couldn't use the bike because of my knees so I'd walk on the treadmill and use the elliptical machine. I was lifting very light weights at first, but I went 5 days a week and did some exercise every day."

A few months later Michelle started to receive treatment for her CLL, which had progressed faster than the doctors had originally predicted. But the worst was yet to come. Michelle had been at Vision for almost 9 months when she received another devastating blow.

"I'd been having some disturbing symptoms and knew something wasn't right. More than 10 years prior when I turned 50, I'd received a bowel cancer screening test kit in the mail but had put it away in the cupboard. I dug it out and did it, and it came back positive. Even then I thought it was a mistake. Surely I couldn't have cancer twice!"

Michelle was sent for a colonoscopy.

"When I came 'round from the procedure my doctor came over and said 'I have some very bad news. You have colon cancer.' My first question was 'Am I going to die?'."

Told her cancer was aggressive, within 3 weeks Michelle underwent major surgery and then began chemotherapy treatment.

"After 8 weeks of rest, which I needed, I was back at the gym. I couldn’t wait to get back. No matter what was going on, exercise always made me feel better."

While she was recovering from her surgery there were exercises Michelle wasn't allowed to do, and her Vision trainer Adam adapted her program to suit how she was feeling each day.

Despite the nausea and fatigue that is common with chemotherapy treatment, Michelle continued to do what she could at the gym.

"I planned my gym days around my treatment for 4 months. I'd have chemotherapy on Fridays. By Tuesday I'd be feeling a bit better, so my training days were Tuesdays and Thursdays. I felt sick all the time, but I didn't want the weight I'd lost to come back and so I'd walk to the gym, which took about 45 minutes and do what I could. Then Adam would send me home to rest."

As well as making her stronger and fitter, Michelle found another kind of support at the gym.

"I made so many new friends and found a support system. It really changed my life."

Throughout her treatment, Michelle's medical team were aware of her exercise regime and fully supported it.

"I was being treated at the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse facility in Sydney and my oncologist and my haematologist called me the 'gym girl'. One of the trainers at my gym called me 'Wonder Woman'. Everyone knew what I was doing and saw the difference it was making."

After years of treatment, Michelle is happy to say her days at the hospital are now over.

"I recently had my 6 month check-up and there's no sign of colon cancer. There's no cure for CLL, but I am in remission. I put a lot of this down to changing my nutrition, exercise and weight training."

Michelle still exercises 5 days a week with Vision.

"I'm still gaining muscle and I've lost 40kg. I had knee replacement surgery 6 months ago and even though the surgery and recovery were awful, I'm now back to walking 20,000 steps a day."

While not everyone is suited to the gym, Michelle says everyone can find some type of exercise that works for them.

"Even just a 5-minute walk in the fresh air can make all the difference to how you feel that day. You may not feel like it but starting slowly and building up is all it takes. Exercise absolutely changed my life and today I'm healthier and happier than I've ever been."

It's recommended you seek advice from your medical team and a qualified exercise physiologist with cancer care experience before starting any exercise regime.

The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program is an easy, free test you can do at home every 2 years and is available to all Australians aged 45 to 74.

Cancer Council provides examples of exercises you can do at home while undergoing cancer treatment, including how to stay safe and videos to follow.

Exercise and Sports Science Australia has a patient brochure listing specific cancers and the direct benefits of exercise for each. They also provide a search tool to find an Accredited Exercise Physiologist. Type 'cancer' into keyword filters to find a professional with relevant experience.

The Clinical Oncology Society of Australia created guidelines on exercise and cancer, including how often patients should exercise and how to reach out for help.

Thanks to: Vision Personal Training