Those who have been through prostate cancer treatment know all too well how debilitating it can be.
But after the lycra-clad gym bunnies have left his New Plymouth gym, Kurt Lightfoot opens the doors to middle-aged men.
Around 20 of them meet once a week, at least, all with one thing in common: cancer, namely prostate cancer.
Lightfoot started a course at his gym with help from the Cancer Society after attending a talk on the rehabilitative benefit of exercise for cancer patients.
It was supposed to be a 12-week course, but the guys never left.
"We’ve had 85 per cent retention since first starting two-and-a-half years ago," he told 1 News.
Ray, one of the cancer survivors, said he didn’t think life was worth living when he got cancer, then he met Lightfoot.
"I think he saved my life because I was on a downhill spiral."
The group doesn’t just stay in the gym, banding together whether it’s to climb Mt Taranaki or fixing a roof.
"Growing up I never really had a father figure, but now it’s almost like I’ve got half a dozen dads I can turn to for advice,” he said.
Jenny Corban, who helped set up the course, said exercising is really important for improving well-being, particularly for cancer patients.
"The suicide rate for cancer is four times the general population. The rate for men with prostate cancer is higher than that again and that’s got a lot to do with side effects of treatments."
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