The Team Phoenix Training Program
Surgery, Chemo, & Radiation—Not by Choice. Swim, Bike, & Run? By Choice!
Ilka Hoffins
Strong. Proud. Redefined!
Team Phoenix recently celebrated its 10th season, having safely and successfully trained over 340 cancer survivors to cross the finish line of a sprint distance triathlon. Many of these survivors had never considered themselves an athlete, but there they were, and still are, swimming, biking, and running their way to lifelong habits of fitness and friendships in hopes of improving their quality of life and longevity as cancer survivors.
Team Phoenix, Advocate Aurora Health’s (AHH) fully donation-funded and medically overseen triathlon training survivorship program started in 2011, thanks to the collaboration, time, and passion of innovative Aurora Health Care cancer clinicians. AAH oncology physical therapist Dr. Leslie Waltke and (former) AAH breast cancer surgeon Dr. Judy Tjoe were keenly aware of the debilitating effects cancer treatment had on their patients. Dr. Tjoe, having just finished her own triathlon training, reflected on the benefits of having a strict prescribed exercise regimen to follow. She approached Dr. Waltke with the idea of collaborating to coordinate a survivorship program in which survivors would train as a team for a sprint distance triathlon. And they hoped that they would experience the same health benefits of life-long fitness and friendships.
Recruiting thirteen cancer survivors, a triathlon coach, and medical volunteers, Team Phoenix was born: a 14-week triathlon training program focusing on safely and successfully teaching patients not only how to swim, bike, and run to cross the sprint distance triathlon finish line, but also to empower survivors to regain their energy, flexibility, strength, and confidence.
After many weeks of sweat and trepidation, amid tears filled with emotion and pride, all thirteen survivors crossed the finish line at the 2011 Danskin race. They had become triathletes!
Founders Grow the Future
This original group of thirteen became known as Team Phoenix OG (Original Group). At first, they had no idea that their inaugural experience would grow into a program that would impact the lives of hundreds of survivors, also with a healthy ripple effect on their families, friends, and communities. Facebook posts and updates from the original group of survivor triathletes showed that they continued to stay active and connected. While some alumnae worked hard to fit some bike rides or daily walks into their week, others continued to make time to train for races, and—oh yes!—some went on to compete in a full IronMan race.
Being a part of the Team Phoenix experience had not only improved their physical health and emotional well-being, but also led to lifestyle changes, healthy habits, and daily routines, that improved their overall quality of life.
Team Phoenix OG’s enthusiasm proved contagious. Word spread quickly about what a life-changing experience it had turned out to be and, within a few months, there were new survivors requesting a spot on the next training team. From 2011 to 2019, Team Phoenix grew, welcoming new groups of female survivors of all ages (currently from 26 to 71) with all forms and stages of cancer.
As the AAH Team Phoenix Program Director, I am keenly aware of the uniqueness of a program like Team Phoenix having the leadership of oncological clinicians like Dr. Waltke, Dr. Michael Mullane (AAH Medical Director, Hereditary Cancer Prevention and Management Center Division of Oncology), Dr. Amy Beres, (Director of AAH Regenerative Medicine Program), and Jamie Cairo (Doctor of Nursing Practice, AAH Director of Clinical Program Development-System Cancer Services). With the ongoing support of Advocate Aurora Health, the AAH Foundation and these clinicians donating their time, support, and expertise, Team Phoenix has continued to grow and expand.
The All-Together Attraction
Survivors are drawn in by Team Phoenix’s promise of re-conditioning in a No Judgement Zone. Everyone receives medically overseen coaching, with minimal requirements to join: walk and bike the length of a football field and be willing to learn to swim.
Each year, Team Phoenix alumnae return to support the new cohort of survivors. Whether a survivor is an experienced athlete or has never been a part of an exercise program or sports team, together they share the challenges and successes of physical and emotional obstacles. From overcoming the fear of water, to finding a comfortable bike seat, or breaking a PR for a walk/run distance, small accomplishments are celebrated as big victories throughout the season, offering heartfelt high fives, hugs, and tears of joy.
With a wide variety of experiences and ability levels, multi-level training plans for swimming, biking, running, and strength-training were created specifically for the Team Phoenix program. Oftentimes, an athlete has a lot of experience in one area but not another, such as being a college swimmer who has not ridden a bike since childhood. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced plans are matched with every athlete for each discipline, and a special training app is used so they can view individualized plans on their training calendars, track their workout progress, and reach out to their coaches with questions they have throughout the week.
The camaraderie of training with other cancer survivors offers a unique opportunity for empathy with physical, social, and emotional issues related to survivorship. The momentum and synergy among Team Phoenix alumnae prove evident as they continue to stay active together year-round. From snow-filled fat bike rides and frigid 5Ks, to kayaking local lakes and streams, alumnae enjoy opportunities to train together throughout the year.
Continuing Despite COVID
In 2020, with sixty-five eager survivor athletes only a month away from starting their training, COVID tried to put up a roadblock. However, Team Phoenix was able to take things in stride and successfully pivoted to a virtual platform. Overcoming obstacles is part of survivorship so, throughout COVID, over 200 Team Phoenix survivor athletes stayed active and connected by engaging in activities from zoom yoga to facetime walks, becoming experts at syncing their activities with their online calendars, and joining in on weekly lunch-and-learns.
Over half of these survivor athletes joined the 2022 triathlon training team. Instead of the usual 100 days of training, many of them had over 800 days of training; the ultimate demonstration of their ongoing patience and perseverance until Team Phoenix could train in person again.
Surviving & Thriving
On Sunday, July 24, 2022, with the guidance of the Team Phoenix leadership, coaches, Team Phoenix alumnae, volunteer Swim Angels, and medical professionals, the 2022 team of survivors finally experienced their well-earned opportunity to take part in the Tri-ing for Children sprint distance triathlon. Seeing Dr. Waltke at the finish line, emotions ran high as they knew her arms held years of motivation, encouragement, and passion, empowering cancer survivors to become athletes; the smile on her face mirrors their pride as they crossed the finish line to receive the well-earned title of “Triathlete.” Becoming a triathlete also meant each 2022 Team Phoenix survivor athletes also proudly earned the coveted title of “Team Phoenix Alumnae” and would be moving forward with a positive outlook on survivorship and new life-long habits of fitness and friendship.
Triathlon day was a huge success for each individual survivor triathlete and all of the lives they touch, including hundreds of supporters who joined the annual Sea of Purple, cheering, whistling, and clapping as Team Phoenix athletes crossed their finish line and redefined survivorship. A truly unique and transforming experience. To learn more about Team Phoenix, and how to participate, volunteer, ask questions, and donate, please go to:
http://aurorahealthcare.org/services/cancer/cancer-support/team-phoenix
The Passionate Momentum of Oncology Physical Therapist Dr. Leslie Waltke
Dr. Leslie Waltke, oncology physical therapist, talks the talk and walks the walk—and swims, bikes, and runs. Dr. Waltke has a keen knack for incorporating activity into every aspect of her life, taking pride in having trekked over 1,300 miles via bike from Canada to Mexico. For her own wedding ceremony, she arrived on her bike.
A believer in the theory that Sitting is the New Smoking, Dr. Waltke often recruits colleagues to join in for a Walking Meeting, and hunts down the staircases instead of elevators to stay active throughout the day. Early in her career as a physical therapist, Dr. Waltke recognized the need to dispel the myths that cancer survivors should limit their mobility. She understood the truth to be quite the opposite: Exercise and movement alleviate unnecessary suffering.
“When I graduated with my physical therapy degree in 1988,” Dr. Waltke said, “cancer was the furthest thing from my mind. Yet, in the early 1990s, a family member was diagnosed with cancer, and my eyes were thrust opened to a whole new world. You know how we all see the world through the eyes of our own profession? As a physical therapist watching someone exposed to surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, I didn’t see tumor markers, cell counts, or surgical margins. As a PT, I saw fatigue, pain, immobility, and progressive weakness. I saw the struggle to maintain normalcy, function, and a sense of self. Over time, I went from treating a few patients with cancer to opening a physical therapy private practice dedicated solely to people with cancer, to ultimately building the country’s largest integrated cancer rehabilitation program at one of the country’s leading cancer programs.”
Dr. Waltke is passionate for, as she has said, “Making the world better for people with cancer.” And this passion stretches way beyond her role as lead oncology physical therapist for Advocate Aurora Health.
In 2011, she co-founded the wildly successful Team Phoenix Triathlon Training Program (please see previous, main article). By 2015, Dr. Waltke’s reputation as an expert in the field of oncological rehabilitation was drawing inquiries from colleagues all over the world, which led her to establish the Waltke Cancer Rehabilitation Academy (waltkeacademy.com) to help build cancer rehabilitation programs worldwide. In 2019 Dr. Waltke created The Recovery Room (waltkeacademy.com/the-recovery-room), an online resource for cancer patients and survivors offering educational and fun videos on fitness and recovery-related topics featured on YouTube, and a Facebook page with more than 22,000 followers and 2 million views (facebook.com/lesliewaltkept).
Dr. Waltke’s interest in the exploring and demonstrating the relationship between exercise and survivorship has also led to her involvement with research such as Survivors Speak: a qualitative analysis of motivational factors influencing breast cancer survivors’ participation in a sprint distance triathlon and Promoting Team-Based Exercise Among African American Breast Cancer Survivors.
Whether she’s providing therapy in the clinic, biking alongside Team Phoenix athletes at training sessions, inspiring survivors with her speeches as the honorary CMO (Chief Motivational Officer), or sharing her expertise as a thought leader in cancer rehabilitation, Dr. Leslie Waltke is passionate about helping cancer survivors live their best life.
In her own words: Exercise like your life depends on it, because it does! My ultimate mission is to help rehabilitation therapists, cancer practitioners, and cancer centers learn and implement best practices in cancer rehabilitation. Train on, Peace out!
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