October8,2011 Breastcancerawareness

aku s Exercise sh e p
To battle the disease, Vitolo took a powerful cocktail of medications. While the concoction was potent enough to combat cancer cells, it was debilitating for her body. She referred to herself during that time as the blendermeaning that this mix of the malignant and the medicinal was poisoning her system; through exercise she was able to shake up these toxic ingredients. I always wanted to be healthy; it was an escape for me even before the sickness, Vitolo said. Once I got sick, it was even more so an escape. By exercising through the chemo, it was like the soldiers in my body were fighting a war. It made me stronger. I would take the medications, and it was this blender of toxins inside of me. I ran two miles after each treatment. Its just what I did. I wanted to get the toxins out of my body. I had to shake up the blender, to get myself going. Not surprisingly, the doctors loved Vitolos positive attitude and tenacity as she committed herself to achieving a mind-body connection. Every potent dosage was coupled with rigorous physical activity. While there is scientific evidence that supports the role of exercise for breast cancer patients and survivors, for Vitolo, the workouts were just as much about the attitude of fighting back. Of course I was afraid. I was very scared, Vitolo confided. But she disciplined herself to run two miles after every chemotherapy treatment. She also continued teaching four group fitness classes each week at Eclipse Fitness Sports and Wellness, where she had been body-stepping, pumping and jamming since the facilitys opening day. And, above all else, Vitolo was dedicated to running her home with her husband and three little girls. Obviously, Vitolo was juggling a full plate, and some concessions were made once the treatment process was well underway. After seven treatments, she dropped three of the four classes. She explained, Raising my family came first. But she never surrendered the fourth class, and she never missed a two-

aspecialtyPublicatonoftherichmondtimes-Dispatch

the cancer
mile run following a chemo treatment. I fought through it. I didnt want pity, and that helped meI wasnt home depressed. I was helping myself get through a hard time. I mixed up the blender, said Vitolo, who endured 10 rounds of treatment along with a double mastectomy operation. Lance Armstrong had cancer all over his body but still got on his bike, and hes still here. Theres some sort of pattern. The exercise keeps you healthy, and it gets you through, she continued. Maybe I wouldnt still be here, but I took control, and my body followed. Afterward, I stayed into it. Now I am the group fitness manager, and we do breast cancer awareness fundraisers with different themed programs that get the members involved each year. It makes people aware that, in the real world, this is very much an ongoing battle for women, Vitolo said. I always ran. It was what was in my head: Let me go shake it up. And its not about how I exercised, or the degree of it, it was the mental part of it. I didnt think about the cancerthe living and the dyingI thought about staying healthy. It kept my mind clear and gave me a way to fight. And Im here, Vitolo reflected, with gratitude resonating, in her no-nonsense Northern accent. Its a miracle.

Lisa Marie Vitolo By Joanna Ernst

n 2005 Lisa Marie Vitolo, a group fitness instructor near Watchung Hills, N.J., was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her tumor then metastasized and formed four inoperable nodules on her lungs. Vitolos mother, who also had been diagnosed with breast cancer, passed away three years earlier from a heart attack. (Cardiac side effects occur in as many as 20 percent of patients who have undergone chemotherapy and radiation treatments.) The doctor told this married mother of three young daughters that if chemotherapy didnt work, she should get her affairs in order. But the intensive therapy was successful, and six years later, shes cancer-free. Vitolo attributes her survival to willpower, a positive mindset and, perhaps surprisingly, a regular exercise routine.

Proud to support.

Heritage Chevrolet and the American Cancer Society are making strides against breast cancer

Were there for all lifes journeys. Even the detours.

CALL TOLL-FREE 1-804-748-6461 Call Us OR 1-888-7-THE BEST PRICE Toll Free 1-800-394-8243 See us on the web at: www.heritagechevrolet.com

2431238-01

The associates of Heritage Chevrolet are proud to support the continued awareness is Your Satisfactionof the work to ght breast cancer and OUR FUTURE!all of our friends encourage Jay Burchell to GET INVOLVED
President www.heritagecheveroletchest.com

Jay Burchell