Together, Luis and Mary Arevalo have had to deal with cancer for several years.
On Thursday, they got a little help in their battle with the disease, when a free cancer fitness program officially opened to the community at the Glendale Adventist Medical Center Therapy & Wellness Center.
The program is uniquely designed to help cancer patients regain strength and improve motion with exercises that are tailored specifically for them and their medical needs
The program is also considered the first of its kind in Glendale, said Alicia Gonzalez, a medical center spokeswoman.
The Arevalos, who have been married 57 years and both have cancer, were some of the program’s first participants.
“I know [the program] is going to help me emotionally and physically,” Luis Arevalo said.
He has had prostate cancer for the past 17 years and is at the advanced level, and is involved in a clinical trial at Ceders Sinai Hospital. Exercising has already made a difference for him, he said.
“I’m very hopeful because I feel better,” he said.
Mary Arevalo, a former principal of R.D. White and Thomas Edison elementary schools, makes sure her husband attends his fitness classes.
Mary Arevalo has had breast cancer for the past seven years and exercise has also made a difference in her life, she said.
“The two things that are really good about this program is that it’s free and it’s flexible,” Mary Arevalo said.
She looks forward to the yoga class that will be modified for her by the staff at the fitness center who have specialized in working with cancer patients and survivors.
“They interview you before and ask what level and what kind of cancer you have,” Mary Arevalo said.
Elisa Sweigart is the yoga instructor for the program. She explains the core aspects of yoga to patients, and they have already reacted positively to her class, she said.
“The most common responses are ‘My shoulders feel so much better’ or ‘I feel so relaxed,’” she said.
The program took five to six months in the development stage, said Kirk Bentzen, a doctor of physical therapy and physical therapy manager for the program.
He, along with Cathryn Williams, Jem Hsu and Sandra Boctor, who are also physical therapists, created a program that would specifically address the needs of individual patients with different cancers.
