Paddle boarding to help with cancer recovery

Melanie Loveless

A special stand up paddle programme is being run in Rotorua this summer for people recovering from cancer.

Pinc and Steel Cancer Rehabilitation Centre will be running the freestand up paddle programme called PaddleOn.

This rehabilitation programme is for men and women of any age recovering from all types of cancer who have completed their primary treatment.

Certified Pinc cancer rehabilitation physiotherapist, Melanie Loveless would be running the programme in Rotorua with the help of a local paddle board instructor. Mrs Loveless said she was a novice when it came to paddle boarding but has had specific training so she knows the basics. She said this would be the first time they have run this programme and if it went well they were hoping to make it an annual thing.

"We are looking for people who are motivated to step outside their comfort zones, we don't want people who can paddle board already. "It's about taking people who have been through the lowest of lows and giving them the message if you can master this after being quite unwell then you can master anything. It's to get people having fun and doing something new and different."

Mrs Loveless had already started the free screening tests to make sure people were fit and able to participate. She said the test took 30 minutes and people needed to register as soon as possible because there were limited spaces.

Breast cancer survivor, Rotorua woman, Barbara Neale is registered and cannot wait to get out on the water. "I've never done it before, I'm really excited to give it a go. I'm usually really independent and when I got cancer I was really surprised at how important it is to have support."

The overall aim of the programme is to help cancer survivors regain strength and fitness. Visit http://www.pincandsteel.com/programs/our-programs/paddleon/