Notts County’s CARE Project Receives Glowing Praise from Grateful Participants
A cancer diagnosis comes with serious implications. From a change in one’s health, intrusive treatments and a shift in one’s health. Individuals also possess and/or gain enormous courage and strength to fight for their lives. This could be in the form of adopting a healthier diet and being more physically active wherever possible. The latter could be simply walking, going up and down flight of stairs or joining others in group activities based on one’s strength.
EFDN members use football as a tool for social development and have over the years come up with creative and innovative ways of engaging their fans, staff and community. Notts County FC’s charity arm – Football in the Community (FITC) – is implementing a health project Cancer and Rehabilitation Exercise (CARE) targeting adults aged 18-99 that they deliver across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. The annual report, recently published, makes for delightful reading with participants reporting excellent results courtesy of the project.
A female participant of 54 years with breast cancer was undergoing treatments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. She joined the CARE programme through the ‘Moving Forward’ course at City Hospital, Nottingham. Fatigue and limited range of movement in the left side of the upper body were the side effects she was finding difficult to deal with post treatment and she joined CARE to gain fitness to be able to return to full time work.
FITC staff report that she showed great progression while on the programme, and it was great to see her grow in confidence as she started to understand and feel better about her body. This was helped by using certain exercises to help increase body strength which then made everyday tasks easier to cope with. She also made a great effort to keep to a regular exercise pattern which was of great benefit with combating those fatigue levels. This has made a big difference in allowing her to feel comfortable in returning to full time work. Since her supported 3 months has ended, she has continued to work with FITC on sessions as well as look to other groups to keep up with her exercise. This has also continued through joining other forms of exercise or groups such as a running club and swimming.
“The CARE sessions have helped me rehabilitate at the end of my cancer treatment. I felt like I had lost control of my body but after taking part in the programme I feel much more in control and strong. The group has helped me emotionally, everybody understands, and it means a lot to me. I now feel fit enough to return to my work with a smile on my face,” she posited.
The CARE project aims to create a strong and supportive exercise environment that enables participants to experience the physical, psychological and social benefits that physical activity can bring. FITC staff create a positive and supportive atmosphere that provides participants with a temporary escape from the stresses of treatment and recovery, but places participants in a position where they can interact with like-minded people going through a very similar journey, to increase relatedness in a warm and encouraging environment.
The exercise is planned in a way that is achievable for any individual at any ability level, but in a way that is fun and promotes enjoyment and ultimately sustainability of exercise in the long-term. CARE can be accessed by any adult that has had a cancer diagnosis and can come on the programme at any stage of treatment, whether this be from diagnosis, during treatment, post treatment or in remission. Below are further testimonials from participants.
Participant B –“After my treatment I couldn’t lift up a pan full of water because I was that weak. The chemotherapy destroyed all my strength, muscle, and energy to the point where I couldn’t do anything. However, because of the CARE programme, I can now live my life as how I previously did. Truth be told I am still not 100% back to how I was but I know I can achieve this due to the support and help from the programme.”
Participant C – “After my treatment for breast cancer finished, I was so weak and fatigued all the time. I had to rely on my husband and family members to help with my children, tidying the house and aiding me in any other way. At the end of your treatment, you are given a pack of leaflets, brochures, and information regarding mental and health support groups. The one that stood out for me was CARE because they specialise in cancer and rehabilitation. When I met Josh, he was so welcoming and polite which made me realise that I would enjoy this type of group. Fast forward to now and I couldn’t be happier with the results I have gained from CARE. I feel fantastic, less fatigued and have more energy! I can’t thank enough the CARE team for what they have done for me.”
You can find the annual report on our Online Learning Platform.
