Our Mission
WORKING TO BATTLE CANCER ONE PERSON AT A TIME
Cancer does not discriminate. It crosses socioeconomic, cultural, and gender lines with no regard for the damage it causes. Cancer erodes hope and challenges faith. Cancer destroys lives and devastates families. But cancer doesn’t get to win. We can fight back. We can defy. We can resist.
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Exercise is an important factor in reducing the incidence of cancer as well as improving outcomes in those touched by cancer. Staying active throughout chemotherapy and radiation is an important yet often overlooked aspect of care. It requires instruction and supervision by qualified professionals with specialized training in oncology rehabilitation and exercise. Many of those diagnosed with cancer do not have access to quality fitness because of financial restrictions due to the cost of cancer treatments. By having access to oncology specific exercise, individuals are given the tools to fight back against the devastating effects of cancer.
Our History
The Crystal Coast Cancer Rehab Center is a non-profit program that was created in 2018 by Jayme Limbaugh in memory of her grandmother, Virginia Jayne, a strong woman who fought breast cancer in 1989 before passing away.1 Out of the lingering pain from the loss of her grandmother, Jayme made the decision to change lives and created the Crystal Coast Cancer Rehab Center solely to assist cancer survivors in any stage of their diagnosis or recovery.
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After attending a program established by the University of Northern Colorado, Jayme brought her knowledge back to the Crystal Coast and developed the program from the ground up. Always referencing existing resources or attending new seminars, Jayme altered the program. She test ran it, and then altered the program once more to fit the needs of our community, making it now the most cohesive exercise rehabilitation center for oncology patients in North Carolina.
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The main goal of the Crystal Coast Cancer Rehab Center is to improve the Cancer Survivor's quality of life and to offset any symptoms or side effects they may be experiencing as a result of their diagnosis, treatment, and prior medical history while maintaining flexibility on the client’s behalf through the stages of the program. The intake process allows staff to understand the client as a whole, not just their cancer diagnosis. The exercise specialists meet with the client for Intake A, which provides the specialist with information on who the client is, what their goals are, and any possible speed bumps that they may encounter. The second session involves baseline testing for the specialist to gain a basic understanding of the client’s physical abilities such as flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, and muscular strength. This assessment allows the specialist to create a fully customized, 12-week exercise program consisting of one on one hour long sessions with undivided attention from the specialist.
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The Crystal Coast Cancer Rehab Center has touched everyone in some fashion, whether it be the client, a family member, or a friend. Unfortunately, we don’t have a way of curing cancer but we will work our hardest to provide some form of relief to those who are fighting and surviving a cancer diagnosis! If you are interested in our program, speak to your oncologist about a referral.
Our REsults
According to statewide statistics there is an average of 522 Carteret County Carteret County Residents diagnosed with Cancer annually. Many of the survivors are struggling with medical bills, insurance and any out of pocket fees they must pay for treatment. This severely reduces opportunity for additional, yet impactful care from exercise physiology therapy. We work to fundraise, apply for grants and scholarships from various sources in order to provide high-quality services.
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Our recent metrics showed a 31.3% overall increase in strength with a 17.3% overall increase in cardiovascular endurance. We have a goal of enrolling 50 survivors in 2022. Currently we have 41 survivors and look forward to an even larger sample size of data upon the conclusion of 2022.
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Survivor improvement in metrics measured to determine effectiveness of our intervention are baseline strength, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility and balance. After the conclusion of each phase we recollect data to monitor decreasing decline during treatment and improvement after treatment.
Our Team
Crystal Coast Cancer Rehab employs professionals with a passion to provide exercise-based rehabilitation and specialized services, including dietetic counseling, to individuals diagnosed with cancer while providing a continuation of care from initial diagnosis, throughout treatment, and into survivorship. Our hope is to cultivate and promote an environment where individuals thrive, not just survive.
