Three-time cancer survivor Suzanne Clark-Pitrolo is using her experience to improve the treatment and rehabilitation of others.
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After realising the benefits of doing exercise during chemotherapy and radiation therapy she resolved to set up a gym for cancer sufferers and survivors that would "turn nobody away".
Ms Clark-Pitrolo's Kaden Centre in Warabrook, a registered charity, is now celebrating its first birthday.
"When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 you were told to rest and just rest. Rebuilding from that was one heck of a journey," the Windella resident said.
"I used to say to the doctors, 'But what can I do for myself?' Now they know there is something."
Ms Clark-Pitrolo started undergoing treatment for third-stage bowel cancer in 2012. During surgery, doctors found another cancer in her appendix, which triggered a third round of chemo and radiation therapy.
In contrast to when she had breast cancer, Ms Clark-Pitrolo said she tried her best to exercise routinely, going for walks and lifting light weights, even though it was "hard to know what to do".
"You felt like you were still alive," she said. "It made you feel like less of a patient."
Recent research suggests that exercise benefits most people both during and after cancer treatment, and may reduce the likelihood of developing heart disease, which is more prevalent in cancer survivors than the general population.
"The evidence is that doing some sort of exercise helps you complete your treatment and helps you manage the side effects, like fatigue, nausea, muscle pain and muscle atrophy," Ms Clark-Pitrolo said.
After being cleared of the disease, her younger sister suggested she create a place where these activities could be carried out.
All exercise sessions at the Kaden Centre are supported by a team of exercise physiologists and physiotherapists. The centre has insurance for high-risk clients, which, Ms Clark-Pitrolo said, most mainstream gyms do not have.
"Pretty quickly I realised it had to be a charity, so that everyone could afford to get this sort of treatment and care. It's too expensive for the majority of people," she said.
A great aspect of the centre, the 62-year-old said, was that it brings people with similar experiences together.
"We have a lounge area and it's always full of people having a cup of tea and chatting. It's an incredibly happy place," she said.
"People come in and they've had a really bad day but they know they've got a space to cry. They know the building is full of people who totally understand what they are going through."
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