'A very hopeful place': How a U of A exercise program is helping patients recover from cancer

An Edmonton sports reporter says a program at the University of Alberta helped him regain his strength and well-being after cancer treatment.

Dave Jamieson has spent time with the Edmonton Elks, 630 CHED, and most recently on-air at TSN 1260, but in 2021 he was forced to take a break to undergo surgery after a tumour was discovered in his throat.

The surgery involved an incision from behind his left ear all the way to his chin, leaving him with nerve damage in his neck and face.

He also underwent several weeks of radiation treatment at the Cross Cancer Institute, and spent two months on a feeding tube as a result of the treatment.

“My body was, it was destroyed,” Jamieson said. “I had very little left. I had no muscle, I had lost over 40 pounds, there was a period in there during the radiation I lost my ability to speak, which given my current employment was frightening.”

That’s when a friend recommended he get involved with the Alberta Cancer Exercise (ACE) study at the U of A’s Cancer Rehabilitation Clinic.

ACE is a five-year Alberta study to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of a 12-week community-based exercise program.

The program is run by instructors with cancer-specific education and training, and it’s designed to help people withstand and recover from cancer treatment.

“There’s the physical part of it, there’s also the conversations you’re having as you’re going through the exercises, because they’ve seen it. I’m not unique, my case is not unique, so they’re able to impart wisdom that I would leave after a session, I’d feel better physically, but I’d also feel more knowledgeable about my cancer and what it was going to require of me.”

Jamieson started weight lifting and strength building in the program, which he says helped to reawaken his sense of control over his body.

“In Dave's case, his recovery was complicated by the profound weight and muscle mass loss, and the extensive nerve damage on his left side,” said Margaret McNeely, physical therapist and professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. “His program was tailored to his cancer type and needs, and we monitored his response closely to ensure the exercise program challenged his fitness but was not too much."

“Through the programs here you get to see OK, this can be done.’ There’s a lot of hope. This is a very hopeful place. The work is hard, and it’s sometimes not a lot of fun. But ultimately it’s very hopeful,” said Jamieson.

These days Jamison is back on the air at TSN 1260, hosting the Lowetide and Jamieson Show.

He says he can’t thank the team at ACE enough for helping him get back to a new normal.

“If I had just ended my radiation and gone off and tried to figure out life and my physical well being on my own, I wouldn’t have been able to do it,” he said.

“I felt better leaving this program every day that I came here than I did coming in. So you just got a little bit stronger. You just got a little bit more aware of it in there. It may not entirely be your old body or your old self, but there’s hope.”

ACE programs are offered in locations across Alberta, including a new study for participants in rural or remote communities.

Visit the U of A’s website to find out how you can join the program.

TSN 1260 has also created a 50/50 jackpot to support the ACE program.Tickets can be purchased online.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk.