UFV’s Amanda Wurz helps kids with cancer and blood disorders move, play, and connect

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“And so, having the opportunity to be with children who are going through the same experience can be very beneficial.” 

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The thinking around exercise and pediatric cancer and blood disorders is also changing. With respect to pediatric cancer, decades ago, when survival rates were much lower, the focus was understandably on treatment.  

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“But now in Canada upwards of 85 per cent of children diagnosed with cancer will survive at least five years, and many will go on to live for decades following treatment,” Wurz says. “As medicine and care have advanced, studies have followed that show how safe, individualized physical activity can be highly beneficial for patients.” 

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The Move Club meets children wherever they happen to be physically on a given day, adapting activities to how they’re feeling and where they are in their treatment and recovery. 

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“If they’ve just had a certain treatment or they’re feeling unwell, it might just be gentle shoulder circles,” Wurz says. “If they’re in bed, it might just be getting up and down from that bed, and when they’re feeling better and they’re at home, it might be running up and down the stairs getting stuffed animals to show us.”  

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“After treatment, movement might look like learning skills to support engagement in a favourite sport or activity or gaining strength, flexibility, or fitness, and we had really good buy-in from families in Alberta because it works at their child’s pace.” 

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Behaviour-change techniques are also built into the program, helping children develop the confidence to remain active after their 12 weeks with The Move Club ends. 

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For Wurz, working with the children is a regular reminder that despite everything happening around them, they still want many of the same things as any other child. 

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“They may be looking or functioning differently or feeling unwell, but when they’re feeling up to it, they just want to be treated like a kid, and they want to play like a kid, and make friends,” she says. 

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Wurz is hopeful this program will take root across Canada and become sustainable for years to come. The ultimate reward will be seeing children live well during treatment and carry that active life with them long after treatment ends. 

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“I feel incredibly privileged to work with these children and families,” she says. “I’ve had parents tell me their child was able to keep moving even through some of the most intensive parts of treatment. I’ve seen children find ways to play and be active on really difficult days, and we have had families send photos months or years later of their child mountain biking, horseback riding, or graduating from high school.  

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“Not every child gets that future, and it makes the time we have incredibly meaningful. Their strength and resilience stay with you.” 

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Photo Descriptions

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AmandaWurz.jpg

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TheMoveClub.png – UFV’s Dr. Amanda Wurz is bringing The Move Club to B.C., providing opportunities for children with cancer and blood disorders to exercise and stay active.

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About UFV 

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Located in the beautiful Fraser Valley just east of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) is a fully accredited, public university that enrolls approximately 15,000 students per year. UFV has campuses and locations in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, and Hope.

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We offer more than 100 programs, including three master’s degrees, 21 bachelor’s degrees with majors, minors, and extended minors in more than 35 subject areas, four graduate certificates, and more than a dozen trades and technology programs.

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For media inquiries:
Stacy Kirpichova, MA 
Director, UFV Communications  
[email protected]

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