Vision: people can be healthier through having a healthy body [exercise/ diet/ mind]  and a regular medical care [periodic physicals].

Mission: provide information that encourages and facilitates adults that want to learn or improve their swimming (running) – as a means to better health through aerobic exercise. Encourage people to develop a rapport with their healthcare professionals — and get an annual physical and pursue a healthy diet. Help people understand how to live in the present, and separate that living from the cancer treatments/ side-effects that they receive.

Important Note: this site does not provide any medical recommendations, but rather, is a collection of observations from my exercise journey to beat my cancer. You SHOULD ALWAYS contact your health professional BEFORE starting or making changes to an exercise program. Please read websites from major Medical Centers of Excellence, University or magnet medical centers for the latest information. For your convenience, I am including some pertinent references in this site.

The story: I was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer in 11/2016, when I’d moved to a new family physician — and he ran a routine PSA blood test on me. Quite a surprise to get a PSA of 42, which then climbed to 49. Biopsy [Gleason 10]. MRI, then PET scans confirmed the diagnosis [along with nodal and spinal metasteses] in late December. My MSK physicians started me on Degarelix, then Lupron to reduce my testosterone — to impede/kill the cancer cells in an ADT Therapy. Normally these drugs can cause weight gain, depression, loss of muscle mass, memory problems, heart problems etc.

Cancer – Head/On: at the same time, I realized that I was not in good physical shape. I was clearly overweight and not careful about my diet. So, I embarked on changing my body – it was something I could control.

I dropped all liquids from my diet other than water, then went on a physician supervised diet and exercise plan that I developed. In addition, I stopped using all OTC [over the counter] medications – to ensure that my liver would be in good shape for my anticancer drugs. I cut my calorie intake to 900-1000 /day.

My exercise sessions were at my local HealthWorks facility: 4+ hours a day. When I first started swimming in the warmer [92 degree] therapy pool, I wasn’t able to move my back to allow proper swimming [metastases in several vertebrae], so I walked back and forth as fast as I could, through the water – using it as resistance. I also put together a 45 min aerobics routine that further increased my spinal flexibility. The daily workout included treadmill, elliptical, and/or arc trainer workouts of 5+ miles per day x 7 days a week.

After 1.5 months, I was able to move my back enough to swim. Then I started with breaststroke then freestyle. The issue was that I was having some pain in my neck, so I purchased a snorkel, fins, and waterproof sound system. With my calorie burn many times my intake, I was able to take off 90 pounds. Now I’m down to my college weight and feel 20 years younger!

As I worked with the Exercise Physiology Team at MSK, I learned that it wasn’t just that the workouts were helping me lose weight, but that some patients following a course of physician approved aerobics find that the exercise may produce two types of chemicals in their blood. The first type, endorphins, help fight the depression from having cancer and the chemical treatments, like ADT/chemo. The second group of chemicals is being researched, but seems to have the ability to kill cancer cells in some people — especially in the studied areas of: colon, breast, and prostate cancer. In summary, the aerobics can fight depression, help fight the cancer and build health.

In May, 2017, after five months of intensive aerobics and Lupron, all the metastases in my spine and lymph nodes were gone; PSA was reduced from 49 to 4.5 and scans, including PET, were negative.  I adjusted my swimming stroke [TI that I’d modified] to introduce gentle twisting of the spine — which I believe increased the blood flow to the muscles that  support the spine — and helps ensure that the anticancer meds are reaching  the original metastases sites in the spine … The exercise also provides stronger muscle support to the damaged areas of my spine.

ADT therapy can have cardiac effects, so my physicians referred me for a cardiac work-up. I was most fortunate to be introduced to the Cardiologist at MSK in the Lee Jones Lab. After testing, he found that I also had hidden heart disease that affected three coronary arteries and was at risk from the calcific plaques on those arteries. We reviewed my exercise plans / target heart rate and fine tuned my diet. At this point, my resting pulse had changed from 76 BPM to mid-50’s BPM. It’s now mid 40’s

Fall of 2017, my cancer started gaining on me – PSA started increasing as my cancer cells started making their own testosterone. My chemical oncologist added Aberaterone/prednisone to my daily meds. This is a powerful solution — and it worked well!

March 2018, my PSA had dropped to undetectable. Time for radiation to address the prostate and nodes. Typically a side effect of radiation was burns in the rectal area, but my Radiology oncologist prepped me with the new gel space oar protection. The treatment consisted of two radiation approaches — starting with internal iridium 192 captive liquid brachytherapy. Several weeks later I received the new 5 session approach/external beam x-ray therapy. I was able to take a nap after each session, then go for a daily run. [no pool near the therapy location]. The gel spacer dissolved by itself a couple of months after the treatments.

So far, so good – but watchful: I’m still at PSA “undetectable” in July 2024 and I’m continuing my running (and again swimming/aerobic workouts every day! My daily exercise regime is split into several sessions: an early morning stretch/Tai Chi, then swim 2 miles and do water exercises, several miles running when I get home, TRX  and another run later in the day — to take my daily run total to ~8 miles. I’m off the cancer therapy now, but am continuing the cardiac meds —  my cardiologist is happy with my status. 

My body has healed quite well from the therapy! It’s been a phenomenal journey — made possible by all my friends/family and some incredible physicians!

The take-away from my experience is that proper physician approved exercise/diet can be an important part of your life — AND you need to ensure that you get an annual physical. Build a good relationship with your physician, bring a notebook/smartphone with questions to your visits and participate is your wellness. I neglected getting annual physicals — so my cancer spread/ metastasized before we discovered it. Please don’t make the same mistake…

Finally, getting cancer doesn’t necessarily mean the immediate end of your life — but that you may need to adjust during your journey. As your body receives treatment for your cancer, live in the day and enjoy that experience, rather than the overshadowing from the cancer! Take time to help others.