"Finding trust in my body, one step at a time."
Inspired by her daughter, Vikki started to find herself again one step at a time. Vikki was diagnosed with nasal cancer in 2024. Her treatment included surgery to remove part of her nose, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. After treatment began, Vikki was in a dark place and hadn’t left the house for months. She didn’t feel well, lacked any energy and had worries about how people would react to her looking different. Movement was really fundamental to changing her self-esteem and self-belief. She says:
“Going out in public and taking on the fact that people would look at me and that I could survive was really really good for my confidence… but it also rebuilt a confidence in my body and trust in my body that I think cancer and chronic illness after treatment robs you of.”
How Vikki Moves:
She used the Couch to 5K programme to start moving after accepting she needed to leave the house again and wanting to be able to have fun with her young daughter. She chose Couch to 5K as she could stay close to home, which seemed like a good idea. Putting on a baseball cap and going out for a walk or run was a normal thing to see people doing, so she felt more comfortable she wouldn’t be looked at.
Couch to 5K started off gently, with intervals of 30 seconds of running and 1.5 minutes of walking. The first time she went out for a run, she says she ‘felt pretty awful’. But, she kept going and by the end of the second week she felt a difference! She felt her energy starting to come back, she started to feel good and more like herself.
For Vikki family time was one of the biggest things she got back. From being able to take her daughter for a day out, or simply cooking her family a meal, it felt good being a ‘team player’ again. She says:
"Activity, movement, rejoining life, will help you to feel alive again.”
Couch to 5K is a free beginner friendly programme, often recommended by the NHS. You can take as long as you need to complete your Couch to 5K journey.
Getting Started:
- Try Couch to 5K
- The We Are Undefeatable App is completely free with activity designed especially for people with long term health conditions
- The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Activity Finder can help you find something local to you
If you would like to share your experience about being active with a long-term condition, to help inspire and encourage others to get moving, please contact marketing@energiseme.org.
