Annemarie’s full story
Annemarie Moore (Fashion vlogger and formerly worked in corporate finance)
After her diagnosis of bowel cancer in 2021, Annemarie Moore initially struggled with the news.
“I was in shock and was on a rollercoaster of emotions over the first few weeks,” she recalled. “The surgeon, doctors, nurses and my family and friends were very supportive, but I felt a bit lost.”
She first heard about the advantages prehabilitation can offer via a Facebook cancer support group and contacted QuestPrehab to improve he fitness before her operation.
Along with an on-line Tai Chi class led by the instructor Leon, she received personalised mentoring and nutritional advice in her weekly Zoom calls with instructor Roberto for a month prior to her procedure.
Two weeks after her operation – knowing she faced a challenging round of chemotherapy – Annemarie resumed her Tai Chi classes and began running again.
“The chemotherapy was tough, so the mentoring and advice I received from Roberto was important,” she said. “I wanted to continue producing my YouTube fashion videos for women over 50 and found it was best to record them during my ‘good days’ when I felt better, and to rest and recover on the days where I felt ill from the treatment.”
“My YouTube channel has grown and now has quite a large following. It’s a business I’m passionate about, but I struggled keeping my mojo while going through treatment – and the effect of hair thinness was a real concern as I was worried how it would come across on video. The mentoring I received included talking through these issues and enabled me to find solutions to keep things going.”
Annemarie was so impressed with the QuestPrehab programme, that she volunteered to lead a peer-support group of cancer patients designed to create a safe space for people to exercise in their homes.
“Improving physical fitness prior to an operation or treatment is important – but don’t underestimate the role mental health can play,” she advised. “When I was in ‘the system’ of being operated on and having chemo, I found it to be a bit like being on a conveyor belt. My immediate future was mapped out and I knew what to concentrate and focus on.”
“But that changed once my treatment ended – I found myself drifting and thinking ‘what’s going to happen now?’ I really benefited from the QuestPrehab counselling I received at that time – it helped me change my mental state as my life moved forward.”
“Hopefully my experience might benefit others in the future.”
If you have recently been diagnosed with Cancer or are in need of surgery, you could benefit from prehabilitation. Please contact us to find out how we can help you prepare for your treatment. QuestPrehab™ is available to patients across the UK.