Today's 6 a.m. news included this about the benefits of exercise in reducing the risk of recurrence of cancer.  It's very good and very fine but...

• People who've had cancer treatment may not be able to slot into 'normal' exercise programme
• People who've had lymph node clearance (for example) shouldn't be doing certain repetitive exercises
• Lots of people aren't fortunate enough to be fit and well to start with, so it's a big thing

I'm lucky, there are two pilot schemes running in Glasgow, and I am in one of them.  We have specially trained instructors who know about the impact of chemo, surgery and radiation on our ability to exercise, who can adapt things to meet our abilities and needs... and who make us work til we sweat!  But the funding for the courses is very precarious - currently the programme I'm with has had a six month extension to its funding, which means, in practice, until the end of Decemebr 2011.  Then what?

There are ways forward - it could be NHS endorsed, but would then become a rehab programme with a strict 6/12 week attendance and then you'd be 'on your own'.  It could be one that you pay for - it is free at the moment, and I'd certainly be happy to pay just for the reassurance that my instructor knows my limitations and can adapt things for me.  I am pretty fit, I get plenty of walking exercise blah di blah.  Not everyone starts at that place, not everyone feels confident to go to a class when they worry their wig/scarf might fall off, their 'fake boob' shift or fall out or their reconstruction twitch or jump.  Not everyone can afford to pay, and not everyone lives near a sports centre or hospital (my class is run at the former, the other scheme runs in a hospital physio gym).

Breast Cancer Care and the Prostate Cancer Charity are now doing some stuff together on this aspect of their work - but of course funding exercise classes is always going to be a pretty low priority.

PS If anyone wonders, to my knowledge there are NHS rehab exercise programmes for cardiac patients and some for people with mobility or balance issues, all of which are run by specialist instructors such as the 'girl' who runs my class.