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Hitting the gym after a mastectomy

Breast cancer survivor says mainstream gyms too daunting 'with a bald head and one boob'

A breast cancer survivor has shared how an exercise programme helped her beat the disease.

Jo Bayles, mum of two small boys, was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer last year at the age of 40. She had a mastectomy followed by six months of chemotherapy and then radiotherapy.

Speaking to 5 Live's Sarah Brett, Jo explained how she felt after her treatment: "By the end of it I was feeling extremely low, lost and tired and physically weak. And I'd completely lost 'Jo' and that's quite upsetting, especially when I'm really active with my boys."

It was then that she was put in touch with the team behind the CU Fitter gym in West Sussex, set up by the charity Cancer United specifically for cancer patients. Jo said there were three main differences for her compared to a mainstream gym, "experience", "trust" and "confidence": "Walking into a mainstream gym at any time is daunting, but doing that with a bald head and one boob is never going to happen".

Within three months of being at CU Fitter working at her own pace, Jo had returned to a mainstream gym and daily exercise: "I've got so much more energy than I ever had, and I just feel brilliant."

Macmillan Cancer Support says most people with cancer should get more exercise, and the idea that patients need rest is a misconception. The charity says most people with the disease aren't active enough, despite evidence that exercise can help with the side effects of treatment, and reduce the risk of dying. The charity wants doctors to encourage cancer patients to be more active.

This clip is from Afternoon Edition on 18 July 2016.

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