"Exceptional physio support through cancer treatment"

Late in 2024 I was diagnosed with an advanced cancer which was having an impact on my mobility and breathing alongside the fatigue and anxiety caused by the cancer and treatment. The teams at both Craigavon and Belfast City Hospital have been superb throughout, keeping me fully informed about what was happening at each step, and I was referred to physio offered through the NI Cancer Centre for support during treatment.

While I was a bit hesitant about taking on 'something else' with so much else happening, ultimately it was definitely the right decision as the physio sessions have been hugely beneficial. I joined the classes each week remotely (there were options for both remote and in-person sessions), and Joe who runs the classes is superb - he is very clear, accessible and supportive. At the outset, Joe talked through the physio with me, understanding which classes were going to be appropriate for me to take, options for online versus in-person sessions - it gave me a lot of confidence at the outset that I wasn't taking on something that was beyond what I would be able to do, and reassured me that there were a range of options to switch to alternatives if things changed medically.

Taking the classes has helped me to re-establish some new routines and start the journey of building my fitness levels back up again, and I've definitely seen my energy levels growing week to week. Beyond the live classes delivered online there are supplementary videos to use to help you keep going in between sessions, and it has been really motivation to see improvements with each class. I particularly appreciated that the option for being to join the live classes online - I live quite far from Belfast and have already have a lot of travel backwards and forwards for treatment/appointments, so the flexibility to be able to join the physio sessions from home made it a lot easier to stay with it each week. It's also helped motivate me to to continue exercising outside of the classes and get back into regular walking to keep up longer term.

For anyone who is considering taking these classes, I would strongly encourage you to do so and to stick with it, as it has certainly had a very positive impact on me, and I'm hugely grateful to Joe for all of the support.