“When I exercise, I speed up my healing.”

Alicia comes like a whirlwind. It is clear that he knows the small gym well, the features of each simulator, and the intricacies of all devices. He jumps on one of them and starts exercising his arms. But today’s training will have to wait. He is fasting and in just a few minutes he will undergo intrathecal therapy, an injection that will be directed directly into the spinal cord to cure leukemia, which was diagnosed almost a year agowhen he just turned 11.

Exercise is part of your treatment; Without a doubt, this is the medicine he likes the most and he can’t wait for the session. “This is one of my favorite places in the hospital,” he says. And the smile that hides his mask appears in his blue eyes.

When they asked about it also Helios, 12 years old, thought the idea of ​​incorporating physical activity into his therapy was fantastic. “They told me it was useful, so When I exercise, I think I speed up the healing.With every step closer to healing.

Both are undergoing cancer treatment at the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid, where there is a so-called Acceleratora department of non-pharmacological therapy created by the Unoentrecienmil Foundation, which is intended to allow the practice of precise physical exercises in children with cancer and to promote research in this field.

Exercise, another part of the treatment

“The term treatment is increasingly being extended to more areas beyond pharmacology, including exercise. This area has been seen to provide clear benefits to cancer patients, both physically and psychologically. And that’s the part of the treatment that patients enjoy, they enjoy it while they’re having it,” he explains. Carlos Echecoparpediatric hemato-oncologist of the Madrid Center, who reminds that “the exercises are prescribed individually, adapting to the needs and capabilities of each person and to the moment of the disease in which the patient is located.”

confirms this Rocio LlorentePhysiotherapist, graduate in Physical Activity and Sport and therapist responsible for the Accelerator, which treats children and adolescents with cancer aged 4 to 21 years.

“Training is always individualized, coordinated with doctors and, after constant reassessment, adapted to the patient’s physical condition, how he received treatment, how he feels, whether he is in hospital or at home. ..If they leave very tired from chemotherapy, perhaps the training on this day will be very short, a few minutes. And sometimes nothing can be done. The situation and needs are always examined first,” explains Llorente.

Workouts are usually divided into strength and power portions. “The cycling or treadmill aims to reduce fatigue caused by procedures and exercise. toxicity of therapy“, Explain. Instead, strength training is aimed at maximizing the weakness and muscle breakdown associated with the disease, and aggressive treatments combat it, he continues. “We try to focus on making sure they lose as little muscle mass as possible and could support Good quality of life Throughout the entire process.”

For Alicia and Helios, sessions are, first of all, games and entertainment. But there is a lot of science behind every exercise.

This explains Carmen Fiuza, chief scientist at the Unoentrecienmil Accelerator, who has been studying the benefits of sports for various diseases for more than 20 years. “There is clear evidence that exercise in children with cancer is not only safe, but has very positive effects. It is gradually being introduced into the clinic, but at the moment there are few hospitals where it is available,” he notes. Right now, his team is embarking on a project with Accelerator patients to evaluate the changes that physical activity causes in aerobic capacity, muscle strength or patient protection .

“We want to see how exercise affects the patient’s quality of life and we want to see what’s happening at the immune system level“, he clarifies. “Another very important part of the project is to see if we can, using different approaches, increase patients’ adherence to exercise. One such approach was the creation of a digital tool that allows the patient to be more motivated to participate in sessions and see their progress, while helping the clinical and research team collect data on their condition.

In addition, parents and siblings can also work with their children in the Accelerator. “Last day was one of the best days for me because I was able to train with my sister,” confirms Alicia. And Rocío Llorente emphasizes her words: “In such a situation, the family becomes something like a doctor, nurse, teacher, etc. for its son and brother. So, coming to a place where you can play, have a good time, blow off some steam, or be with your child, just being mother and son or brother and sister, I think This is truly something special.“

This is the debut of the disease

Both Alicia and Helios, who have acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common type of childhood cancer, are in maintenance therapy a year after their diagnosis. This means fewer hospital visits and the ability to resume some activities suspended due to illness, such as training with basketball teams, a sport of which both Madrid residents are fans.

Helios made up the score 312 days exactly which passed between March 2, 2023 – the last day he trained with his club before receiving the diagnosis – and January 9, 2024, when he was able to return to the Real Canoe team.

“It all started with the fact that we thought it was a sore throat“, recalls Carlos, his father. “We just returned from a skiing trip and he hasn’t fully recovered yet. He was very tired, said his legs hurt, and had a slight low-grade fever. At first they thought that the tonsils were poorly cared for and were prescribed antibiotics, but there was no improvement. Then everything pointed to the fact that it could be mononucleosis. They did an analysis to dispel all doubts, and then everything became clear. Treatment began that night. “Imagine what a slap in the face this is for the whole family.”

“Life changes you radically,” agrees Teresa, Alicia’s mother. In his case the initial confusion was even greater because The girl did not have any alarming symptoms.. “Alicia has celiac disease, and during a routine examination they saw that some indicators were not as expected. We were sent straight to La Paz, upon arrival they did several tests, but were told to go home, that everything was probably fine. Three hours later they called us directly to come in. We went from thinking everything was perfect to having to stay in the hospital for weeks. On his first admission, he spent 20 days in the hospital. And then study at home, avoid closed places, go out of the club… Of course, when we were diagnosed, I had the feeling that there was suddenly an explosion of help and love. Everyone turned out. There we felt what is sometimes said about tribal education. Our family has increased by 100,000, for which we are very grateful.

Like Helios, Alicia recently returned to training with her club Villalba. But during these months, basketball was always present. Since he couldn’t train indoors, his sisters Paula and Claudia recruited some friends to organize small outdoor training sessions. “We were looking for a way because it’s what I love,” admits Alicia, who has been playing basketball since she was six years old and wants to be “a teacher and basketball coach” when she grows up.

Helios, who wants to devote himself to marine biology when he grows up, also intends to always remain involved in sports. Yesterday the kid took part in the presentation of the campaign Baskets against childhood cancer, a movement in which 3,000 teams from 16 autonomous communities have pledged to exchange the points they accumulated during this weekend’s matches for euros to help fight childhood cancer. “Proceeds will go towards the Unoentrecienmil Accelerator project to make exercise possible for all children with cancer in hospitals.”

On the phone, before hanging up, we asked Helios, who told us his story, if there was anything else he would like to add. And you don’t even have to think about it: “To all those who are going through this situation or to those who will go through it later.” I would like to tell you that a lot of support and a lot of strength“That they don’t give up and believe that anything that involves exercise and building strength will help them.”