Raising awareness for breast cancer one dance move at a time
Netcare Pinehaven held a day of Zumba classes in support of breast cancer awareness on Friday, 26 October.
Zumba classes were part of the hospital’s pop-up gym which fell on the final Friday of ‘Pinktober’, with the previous two Fridays of the month also hosting their own events.
The first Pink Friday event of the month at Netcare Pinehaven, an educational and informative session on cancer patient care, took place on Friday, 12 October.
A week later, and it came time for the launch of Look Good … Feel Better, a non-profit organisation that “caters for women and men facing all cancers with the specific focus on their emotional and social needs and well-being”. Finally, on Friday, 26 October, it was time for the public to get moving at the hospital, as they set up a pop-up gym with Zumba classes at 12.30pm and 3pm.
According to Netcare Pinehaven’s hospital manager, Marietha van Vuuren, they chose Zumba classes as an activity because it’s an ideal way for cancer patients to keep fit. “It’s very low-impact exercise, and isn’t necessarily intense,” she said. “We encourage our patients to remain active and fit during their treatment, and we chose Zumba to promote awareness, as it’s ideal for them.”
The 20-minute classes were led by Leanne Cloete, and were held outside the hospital’s Oncology Ward which opened late last year. Throughout Pinktober there was a 10 per cent discount on mammograms, while manicures were offered by Look Good … Feel Better on each Friday, in addition to patients in the chemotherapy unit being offered foot massages each Friday.
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