There’s Something About Mary

Mary won’t be coming to spend the weekend with me, after-all.  We won’t be climbing the bleachers to find our seats and gaze out on the spectacle of a Big 12 college football game.  Instead, she’ll be in round 3 of chemotherapy for a tumor that has no business being there.

I am angry, chagrinned and amazed. 

• Angry because Mary couldn’t have lived a life more devoted to promoting health.  She is a cracker-jack Physician’s Assistant and has spent her entire career helping people function better in the face of what are often devastating illnesses.  She has always taken extremely good care of herself, eaten well, and maintained a very high level of fitness.  Her cancer is unjust -- doesn’t it realize that she is not deserving of this assault?
• Chagrinned because her vulnerability makes me confront my own.  Mary and her husband have been friends of ours since we were in our 20’s, and though our paths have led us to alternate geographies, we’ve traveled in parallel universes and our reunions quickly strip away differences in our communities and life circumstances.  If this could happen to her, it certainly could happen to me.
• Amazed because Mary is strong, in general and in the particular.  Here’s what I mean.  When I called her last weekend during the final few days of her first 3-week cycle of chemotherapy, she had just run a 5K a few hours earlier.  In characteristic style, she deflected my gushes of amazement and praise with a self-effacing, “Well I didn’t really run…I just jogged.” 

In point of fact, her time bested mine for the only 5K race I ever “ran” when I turned 40.  Listen carefully to her wisdom, a woman who has spent her life helping people cope with illness, “Well you know why I do it.  I do it as much for my mental health as my physical.”

So, what is the evidence that physical exercise improves mental health in cancer and in non-cancer states?  Has it been scientifically shown?  A recent review article discusses the preponderance of evidence for the benefits of exercise.¹ If exercise were a drug that could be marketed by a pharmaceutical company - let’s just call it Excervia, for fun - here is what the television ad would say:

"If you have cancer, ask your doctor about Excervia.  It improves physical fitness, cardiovascular fitness, sleep, quality of life, psychological and social well-being, and self-esteem while decreasing symptoms of fatigue, anxiety and depression.  There are no known side-effects when taken in moderate doses."

 

"If you don’t have cancer, Exercervia has been shown to improve physical fitness, cardiovascular fitness, social function, self-esteem, body image, sleep, chronic pain, mood, and stress response while decreasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, and anxiety.  There are no known side-effects when taken in moderate doses."

Quick, write me a prescription!  But wait, what does it cost?  The bad news is that your insurance carrier won’t pay for it.  The good news is that it is free.  Walking is a great form of exercise and other than a good pair of shoes, it won’t cost you anything.   It is available right outside your front door, at your place of work, in a city park, or along one of your favorite by-ways.  Find a buddy, a book on tape, or your favorite music and strap on your shoes.

I’m no runner, but I’m going to find an upcoming 5K and walk it briskly for Mary.  Every step along the way I'm going to celebrate Mary and the other friends who have enriched my life and made it whole.  I'm going to cherish my health and not take it for granted.  I'm going to do what I can to be here tomorrow, for friends and family, aging parents who need me, and grandkids not yet born.  How about you?

Jan  

1. Krobp MT, Musanti K, Dorwood J.  Exercise and Quality of Life Outcomes in Patients with Cancer.  Seminars in Oncologic Nursing, 2007; 23(4):285-296.