Cancer survivors increase health and wellbeing thanks to ENRICHing Survivorship program

Author: Tim Chapman, Community Programs Coordinator, Cancer Council NSW (Lower Mid North Coast)

Cancer survivors and their families recently participated in Cancer Council’s free eight week ENRICHing Survivorship program in Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie, with most attendees indicating improvements in their health by the final session.

Funded by the ETC Community Support Fund, ENRICHing Survivorship provided local cancer survivors with practical knowledge and tools to implement and maintain a healthier lifestyle, enhancing physical and psychological health and reducing their risk of cancer recurrence.

Tim Chapman, Community Programs Coordinator from Cancer Council’s Coffs Harbour office, said that compared to before they started the program, participants felt more confident about how they could improve their overall health and well-being.

Participants indicated that the program taught them how to include exercise into their everyday lives, increased their knowledge about exercises they could do to improve their health, and left them feeling more equipped to undertake exercise safely.

At the conclusion of the program, all participants reported that they were including healthy food into their diet more than they used to.

Program participant Christine Brownhill said, “The program was not only informative, but also a great way to meet people who have been through similar experiences.”

A number of the participants including Gill Sweeney, Eni Manduke, Emily Wallis, Vikki Martin and Christine stated, “I looked forward to going to the sessions each week. Emotionally I feel stronger and better equipped for leading a healthy lifestyle. I’ve also formed long-lasting friendships with people who share similar experiences to me.”

ETC Board Chairman, Rod McKelvey, said it was a pleasure to be able to support Cancer Council with $10,000 towards ENRICHing Survivorship for cancer survivors in the Mid-North Coast, NSW.

“The ETC Community Support Fund is designed to help organisations reduce disadvantage, generate opportunity, increase support services and/or build capacity in the communities in which we operate.

“ETC is proud to be a not-for-profit company and we are confident the money we are donating to the Cancer Council will help make a more positive future for our community,” said Mr McKelvey.

Find out more about ENRICHing Survivorship

Find out more about the ETC Community Support Fund

Here are the upcoming dates for the Mid North Coast region:

Coffs Harbour
Fridays: 3 May – 21 June 2019
10:00am – 12:00pm

Port Macquarie
Fridays: 10 May – 28 June 2019
9:30am – 11:30am