The Ironman Challenge – on chemo with a cold cap!

Steve Cooper’s story exudes gargantuan amounts of bravery, positivity, determination and strength of human spirit – one that I am sure will be a source of inspiration and motivation for many people diagnosed with cancer.

Steve sums up his philosophy as ‘Never Quit’

Steve has always been an action type of guy – he was a competitive athlete in his younger days, a soldier and a police officer for 18-years.

So given his active lifestyle, the last thing Steve expected to hear when he visited his doctor just 4 days before Christmas in 2012 was, ‘Mr Cooper I’m sorry – the news isn’t good – you have stage IV prostate cancer. And it’s inoperable’.

At that point Steve was given just 6 months to live.  But right from the start he was determined to fight the illness within him.  The one phrase that sprung to mind was ‘Never Quit’ –  a philosophy that had stayed with him since his military days. It became his adopted slogan in his subsequent battle against cancer.   And, after the initial shock one thing was certain, Steve wasn’t about to give up without a fight.

“The time to battle, the time to push yourself is when you’re first diagnosed’
Steve Cooper

Steve knew that in-order-to stay strong through the cancer treatment, the radiation and the medication he needed to be in the best shape possible. So early 2013 Steve set himself the goal of leveraging exercise to reduce the side effects to the upcoming radiation and chemotherapy.

Benefits of exercise

Research shows that exercise can help with the side effects of treatment such as fatigue, pain, nausea and vomiting. It can also improve your mood and feelings of confidence. Although too much exercise can make you tired, too little has a similar effect – it’s vital to find your own level.
But more importantly, the research shows that exercise can reduce the risk of the cancer coming back.

Steve says, “Research has shown that exercise ‘DURING’ chemo not only helps reduce the side effects of chemo, it can also reduce the recurrence of cancer.”

Here’s one study that supports this finding: Asco University – A pilot study of aerobic exercise performed in breast cancer patients during chemotherapy infusion.

And a quote to this effect from Kerry Courneya, PhD, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Cancer at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.

“Several recent studies suggest that higher levels of physical activity are associated with a reduced risk of the cancer coming back, and a longer survival after a cancer diagnosis.”

Steve ‘Ironman’ Cooper