VIDEO: An Island gym owner is appealing for your help in securing funding to run classes and build training knowledge for cancer patients, both during and after treatment and surgery.
27-year-old Tori Coles from Bembridge opened WightFIT in Newport in June last year, but new challenges arose in October when she was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Since then she has been continuing to work throughout chemotherapy, surgery and soon radiotherapy. The gym today welcomes over 1200 members.
Having already made a name for themselves with their original ethos, ‘a friendly fitness hub for all’, Toni is looking at ways in which WightFIT can help cancer patients as she says gym facilities are very limited or even non existent for cancer patients, especially on the Island.
Toni has recently entered the 2016 Virgin Business VOOM Competition in the hope of being able to expand WightFIT to work with oncology patients, to provide classes and training knowledge for those patients both during and after treatment and surgery. To be able to do this, Toni needs Islanders to vote to progress WightFIT to the next stage of the competition.
Toni said:
“Having always been a fit individual, I have longed to be back in the gym doing my own training and this is how the expansion plans have come about.
“There is nowhere for a cancer patient to go that they feel comfortable or able to perform exercise. During and after treatment the body is weak, fatigued, scared and sometimes completely unable, however the mind wants to continue.
“Having the personal experience of the last 10 months I can vouch for how much keeping the mind active and the body as fit as possible can help, not only treatment time to pass quickly, but also in the return to feeling as normal as possible too.
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“I want to offer classes where empathy will be foremost importance, an understanding that some days will be better than others, a place where it doesn’t matter if the wig or headscarf slips and a place where patients can socialise together yet feel normal at the same time, during and after treatment.
“Eventually the plan will be to expand to other limiting conditions/populations, such as cardiac and respiratory rehab”.
Islanders have until the end of today (Tuesday 23rd May) to vote for Toni and WightFIT. To cast your vote visit https://www.vmbvoom.com/pitches/wightfit.
