When you\u2019re stuck in isolation in a hospital room for six weeks with no immune system and nothing but an exercise bike for company there is only one thing you can do: ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During his treatment for Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), this is exactly what Kane Blackburn did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MDS occurs when the genes that control blood cell development mutate and do not allow blood cells in the bone marrow to mature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was in 2015 that Kane received the phone call that changed his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had recently visited his GP because he wasn\u2019t feeling well, and a blood test had returned disturbing results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the call, Kane’s doctor told him to go to an emergency department and be admitted to hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFirst, it looked like a failed thyroid, which would mean medication for life. Not good, but manageable,\u201d Kane said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen things progressed, and I became a patient of the haematology department. Again I thought, \u2018OK, not good, but treatment and recovery will be a few months\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It took a total of nine months for Kane to be diagnosed with MDS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt felt like an eternity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou go into the process thinking you\u2019ll start the treatment and be out of there in three months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt took me a while to get my head around the reality that this is not a quick three-month process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where things start to break down: you can\u2019t perform at work; your relationships get strained. There\u2019s also the idea that you\u2019re 27 and you can\u2019t work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese are all things that are linked to your identity, so you start to lose your identity a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was during his consultations with haematologist Dr David Joske that Kane heard about cancer support service Solaris Cancer Care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Joske established Solaris in 2001 to provide complementary therapies and extra support to cancer patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLuckily, I was only ill for a year before I started treatment, which is relatively short and meant I didn\u2019t need many of the services Solaris provides, but lot of people battle these diseases going into the decades,\u201d Kane said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kane was given the all clear in 2017 after extensive treatment at the haematology department at Fiona Stanley Hospital which included a stem cell transplant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey basically gave me a new immune system,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe treatment went successfully, and although there\u2019s a lingering risk of it reoccurring, it\u2019s all as positive as it could be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although cycling started as a form of recovery for Kane, it quickly progressed into a hobby and then a passion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe typical recovery period after treatment is two years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a bit of a journey, and cycling was a good entry-level exercise to start rebuilding the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith my disease, it was a lack of red blood cells which leads to a lack of oxygen. You become quite slow and not very active. It also affects your mental capacity; you can\u2019t think clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t even walk down the end of the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat is where a moment of connection with cycling came to me. There was an amazing sense of freedom just jumping on a bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCycling for me is definitely associated with that feeling of freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Kane heard about the Red Sky Ride after completing his treatment, he leapt at the chance to repay Dr Joske and assist Solaris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cComing from a patient\u2019s point of view, you go through a couple of years of being tied to the health system, and when you come out of it all of the sudden you just get on with life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always good to be able to give back, and this ride has been a good way to give back even just a tiny bit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kane said the beauty of Solaris is the extension of support beyond the patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy family were super important throughout my treatment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s sort of harder on them than it is the patient. When they think they can\u2019t help you it drains on them, upsets them. I think being the support is tougher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSolaris understands it\u2019s quite a holistic thing; that your support network is just as important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Getting to the point of being able to participate in the Red Sky Ride didn\u2019t come easy to Kane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I was isolated in my room, I was tasked to get on the bike every day; 30 minutes, 10 minutes; whatever I could manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMost days I was too ill to do any time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Joske encourages cancer survivors to participate in a mixed program of cardio and resistance training to restore muscle mass, however, warns that too much exertion can be damaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCancer treatments can lead to muscle loss and this can contribute to a sense of fatigue once cancer\u2019s finished,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLearn to be patient with yourself. There may be occasional bad days as the level of exercise increases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo ride for more than 100km, the muscles have to be conditioned into long-distance endurance \u2018monsters\u2019 and this can only occur with regular training.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kane reflected on how far he has come since starting his cycling journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think my first proper ride back on the bike was about 800m, and from there my first huge milestone was riding 40km, although it took me two days to recover from that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In March 2021, Kane will ride 600km over four days to support those on their cancer journeys in the Solaris Cancer Care Red Sky Ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Joske said Kane\u2019s cancer journey is inspiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSeeing Kane progress from his treatment to recovery to cycling these elite-level rides is a true success story,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow seeing Kane giving back to others going through a similar journey has been incredibly touching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is what Solaris Cancer Care is all about: supporting those going through the toughest time of the lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kane said the toughest part about participating in the Red Sky Ride was putting the time in for training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople are committing their weekends in training and volunteering,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll these people are in pain. During the Red Sky Ride, they get off the bike after eight hours of cycling and they\u2019re hurting, but it\u2019s only a small window into what other cancer patients face on a regular basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t see any of the riders complaining out there, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This camaraderie and meaning behind the Red Sky Ride are Kane\u2019s favourite parts about participating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can imagine all these people going through treatment seeing these people out there doing something like that for them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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