Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Councillor Kyle Savage shares his cancer experience and praises Macmillan Cancer Support Move More programme
An Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon councillor has praised a charity initiative for people living with cancer, sharing his own personal experience of being diagnosed with the condition.
Councillor Kyle Savage paid tribute to Macmillan Cancer Support’s Move More scheme, which is designed to promote physical activity for people with cancer.
The Lagan River representative spoke on the matter at the latest Community & Wellbeing committee meeting of the council.
The local authority has been working in partnership with the charity to deliver the physical activity programme for people living with cancer since 2016, with 185 individuals supported to date, and feedback suggesting that all participants have reported a positive impact on their health and wellbeing.
Cllr Savage was also anxious to convey his appreciation to ABC sports development officer, Gillian Dewart, and her team, for their involvement in the scheme.
The UUP councillor stated: “I want to [praise] the Macmillan Move More programme that has been done here within council. Speaking as somebody who has had cancer myself, I know how important it is for that support and the wellbeing in that.
“I want to thank Gillian and all her team, because I’ve seen first-hand last year exactly what they’ve done. There’s very little programmes that we do here where there’s 100 per cent [positive] feedback. The feedback is that it has made a big difference to their lives.
“That cancer journey can be a very lonely place, and whatever help and support that we can give as a council here, then we should be doing it.
“There’s a figure that has been bandied about. If you’re from the rural community, you’re five per cent less likely to survive a cancer diagnosis than your urban counterparts.
“I think, going forward, we need to be trying to get more into that rural community. Men, especially, do need to come out and get checked out and tested, as and when needs be.
“I was speaking at a cancer group last Tuesday night in Waringstown. I said it there and I say it everywhere. You know your body better than any GP or any consultant in this country, and if you do not feel you’re 100 per cent, go and get checked out, and don’t be fobbed off.”