Fyllingsdalen, Training | Anny has cancer with spread: – The training enables me to fight back

In the gym at Nr1 Fitness in Fyllingsdalen, Anny Dale and Kristel Skau lie on the floor and stretch. They are at the end of the Thursday session together with instructor Elisabeth Takle Skulstad.

All three are ladies with strong stories.

– Here I get direct guidance that is relevant to my situation. It’s absolutely fantastic. A good support, says Dale.

– The training means that I feel stronger even though I have a sick body. And when I feel stronger, is I the stronger. Then I feel that I can fight back. So it is certainly a tool in the fight to get well.

Bowel cancer

In November 2021, she was diagnosed with bowel cancer. When she thought she had recovered, she was told that it had spread to the lung.

– It was discovered last summer. Half the lung was operated on in September.

Half a year has passed since the “Trening med kreft” program started – when Dale needed it most.

She knows what it means to have a place to go where she meets others who are or have been in a similar situation to her.

– It has been so positive for me, and it is so important in my rehabilitation. I really want others to experience the same, says Dale.

Not too long ago, she had enough of going to the mailbox. Now she does not go for treatment, but takes a CT scan every three months.

– If I hadn’t had the training, it would have been a very mental strain. Being sick is tough enough as it is. It is so uncertain whether one survives or not. Being able to go here and train, and feel that you’re getting a little stronger, that’s medicine.

Too little information

Now the ladies in the training group want to bring more people along.

– At most there have been seven or eight of us, we have room for many more. There is not enough information about what offers there are for cancer patients who have finished treatment, says instructor Skulstad.

Not least they are looking for men.

– We have not seen men here. I don’t know why, but maybe they feel more ashamed. We ladies are perhaps a little more open, says Skulstad.

On the day Sydwesten is visiting, she only has Dale and Skau with her. They believe it is both about the fact that the offer is unknown, and that many who could have enjoyed it are at the same time dreading it.

At “Trening med kreft” there are mostly simple strength exercises, of course adapted to each individual participant.

All three are keen to convey that absolutely everyone who has had or has cancer is welcome, regardless of their physical condition. If they just want to come and watch the others train.

Social

That was roughly how it started for Kristel Skau, when she was finally on her feet after being affected by breast cancer in 2009.

– I was very, very ill. In the end, the skeleton didn’t support me, I crawled when I went to the bathroom, she says.

When the treatment was over, she decided to start exercising again.

– The first time I came to the fitness center I walked for one minute on the treadmill. The next time I managed two or three minutes. Then I worked my way up.

This is also about the social, she explains.

– You get out, and at the center you are greeted with a smile.

Delayed injuries

One of those smiling at them is the instructor Elisabeth Takle Skulstad. These days she is doing further education which will give her papers that she can train cancer patients.

Unfortunately, Skulstad itself has too much experience in the area. The day before she was to take the personal trainer exam six years ago, she was told she had breast cancer.

– I know what late-onset injuries can occur after cancer, says Skulstad, who is currently on disability benefits due to fatigue.

After the training sessions, those who want to sit down on the sofa at the center with a cup of coffee. There is talk of everything possible. Often there is a dose of gallows humour.

– This sofa is brilliant. Here you can just sit down and start chatting with someone. Here you can also get out of loneliness, says Dale.