Fighting back after cancer
When Thomas Ngaruhe finished cancer treatment last year he barely had the strength to function. Thanks to an innovative programme designed by Nelson trainer Tyson Fitzpatrick he has fought his way back to fitness. Stu Hunt reports
Six months ago Thomas Ngaruhe didn’t have the strength to change a lightbulb. Thomas is 53. He’s softly spoken, but square-shouldered and strongly built.
But after six weeks of radiation and chemotherapy for throat cancer, he was left feeling so weak he couldn’t even perform basic daily tasks.
Thomas was diagnosed in May last year and started treatment in Christchurch in August.
He says that was one thing, he lost all his teeth, but it was what came next that he really struggled with.
‘‘What a lot of people don’t realise treatment is fine, it’s the recovery that’s hard.
‘‘We live in two-storey house and I struggled to get up the stairs. Our section was tiered and I couldn’t mow the lawns.
‘‘I’d had operations on my shoulders as well to further complicate matters. I couldn’t even lift my hands up above my head.’’
Thomas had been a competitive boxer and a rugby player, so he knew what it was to be strong and fit. He wanted to find a way to get there again but struggled to find a programme that suited his needs. ‘‘There was nothing out there’’. Then Thomas met Tyson. Tyson Fitzpatrick works as a trainer at Results Gym in Nelson and is completing a Bachelor in Sport and Recreation.
He says the idea of developing a programme for people recovering from cancer treatment had been floating around for a while.
Then the Nelson Cancer Society got wind of it and asked if Thomas could be part of that programme.
‘‘It was six or seven months premature, but we started working together anyway,’’ says Tyson.
Tyson says his first challenge with Thomas was that there were quite a few areas that needed a lot of attention.
‘‘Everything was a challenge because of his shoulders, and he was still quite fatigued from chemo.
‘‘It was like a Rubik’s cube, I knew how to do it I just had to figure out the best way to do it.’’
‘‘The big thing was to get Thomas life fit as well as health fit. Allow him to pick his grandchildren up, hang the washing out, mow the lawns.’’
So Tyson started simple. Slowly improving Thomas’ body position and posture. From there he moved to cardio and bigger movements.
‘‘We bounced back and forth, changed things around, introduced a few compound movements.’’
And slowly things started to improve.
Tyson says the first ‘‘lightbulb’’ moment was when Thomas came in and said he could finally reach back and unwind the manual window winder in his 1990 Holden Rodeo.
Thomas says that was a big boost to his mental state.
He says his time spent with Tyson started to put the spring back in his step
After having lost 32kg since starting treatment, Thomas has put 10kg of that back on and says his appetite has increased.
He says without anyone to push him, and show him the increments, he would have given up.
‘‘Gyms weren’t my thing. Boxing gyms maybe.
‘‘Going into the gym seeing these young guys, and even guys older than me, throwing all these weights around, I wouldn’t have even been able to look at.
‘‘I still can’t go near them, but I can do what’s good for me thanks to Tyson.’’
He says he owes Tyson and the Cancer Society a lot.
‘‘I’m still not 100 per cent fit but, thanks to Tyson, he’s pushed me to the limit and I enjoy being pushed, I go home feeling good.
‘‘The work that he’s doing with me, it’s not just improving my physical health but mentally too. Mentally I’m feeling good and strong and positive.’’
‘‘It has given me my self confidence back.’’
Having had the success with Thomas, Tyson is now forging ahead with developing the programme for others in a similar situation.
With the cost of hiring a trainer prohibitive for some, Tyson’s vision is that participants referred to him by the Cancer Society wouldn’t have to pay for their trainer or membership.
The programme was designed to be 12 weeks long, one session a week, with follow-up support once the client is back on their feet.
‘‘Then the idea is to try to expand it and bring in trainers who want to give back and help people through such a traumatic event in their life.’’
‘‘Simple but effective training with a focus on after training as well.’’
Tyson says that because people have different cancers, different chemotherapy and different backgrounds, there’s more quality in working with one person at a time.
‘‘A lot of people are already self conscious because of their illness, there’s no point putting them in a situation where they could feel worse.
‘‘One-on-one could get them comfortable to the point where they can continue on their own, with guidance if they need it.’’
Results Gym owner Brad Josse has thrown his support behind the programme, but says Tyson has been the main driver of it right from the start.
And he’s been impressed with the results.
‘‘When Tyson first started working with Thomas I went to South America, so I didn’t get to see a lot of him in the early days. But I did see what he looked like and he was so thin.
‘‘When I came back he was like a totally different person. I didn’t recognise him.
‘‘His demeanour and the way he carried himself, he was a person with confidence and a person who felt he had a lot to offer.’’
Brad says exercise can help boost the immune system, but it’s also about getting people’s confidence back.
‘‘Getting them comfortable using their body again and finding what their limits are rather than being told what their limits are by someone else.’’
He says the aim has been to put something in place to help people so they don’t feel like victims, they don’t feel helpless.
‘‘Give people some direction and support and a programme that’s been built for them rather than just being told to do something or not do anything.
‘‘We want people to come in and feel good about themselves.’’
Tyson has presented the idea at a few different support groups and already six people have signed up for the pilot programme.
‘‘There seems to be quite a bit of excitement around it.’’
‘‘The work that he’s doing with me, it’s not just improving my physical health but mentally too.’’
Thomas Ngaruhe