Zoe Gibbs, a Kenyan student at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia, was awarded an international scholarship by the institution to carry out research on the benefits of exercise for breast cancer patients undertaking radiotherapy and those with lymphoedema (a condition of localised fluid retention and tissue swelling following carcinoma of the breast).
Her research is a two fold approach: firstly to examine the effect of varying exercise intensity on the benefits for reduction and management of lymphoedema, and secondly to assess the physiological and activity changes by varying the timing of exercise commencement in patients undergoing radiotherapy for breast cancer. Zoe is running this research at the Cancer Care Kenya Limited located in Parklands and at her family home in Langata. She has over 80 cancer survivors and patients registered under this voluntary participation project.
Zoe Gibbs (right), a Kenyan student at the Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia, was awarded an international scholarship by the institution to carry out research on the benefits of exercise for breast cancer patients undertaking radiotherapy.
Recently Zoe received a visit from Professor Kerry O. Cox, the Vice-Chancellor and President of Edith Cowan University and Mahul Shah, a Director of Australian Education Consultants (AEC).Breast cancer is the most common of cancers among women in developing countries and is frequently treated with radiotherapy. However, this treatment causes fatigue and reduces physical capacity. Late detection of cancer requires more aggressive treatment that raises the chances of increased physiological side-effects from radiotherapy.
Zoes’ work seeks to reduce the effects of treatment and find the most appropriate time to exercise to maximise long-term health benefits. Such relatively simple and cost-effective interventions may be complimentary to commonly used drugs and treatments and offer a reduction in side effects of these. The cost element is important for people in developing countries where medical costs can be a huge burden on families.
The benefits of exercise for cancer patients is well documented, but this will be the first time a randomised controlled trial is carried out to see the benefits of timing of the exercise and the outcome in the long and short term, and certainly the first of its kind in the country. Her interest in cancer and exercise is both academic and personal. Two months prior to commencing study in Australia she was involved in a car accident that required her to spend many months in rehabilitation in Australia at the commencement of her studies. During this time she also endured the battle of her mother to cancer, a fight she lost in early 2005. Together these events re-modelled and emphasised her passion for the musculoskeletal system and chronic disease. These were the foundation on which she has based her long term ambitions and further study.
Zoe was born in Kenya in 1983 and went to The Banda and Hillcrest Secondary Schools and sat for her A-levels in June 2002. She joined Edith Cowan University (ECU) in February 2003 through Australian Education Consultants (AEC) in Kenya. This is a registered private organization that helps potential students to be admitted in over 60 universities and colleges in Australia.
Following completion of her PhD, She plans to set up a comprehensive rehabilitation centre in Kenya for chronic disease and musculoskeletal disorders.