After completing cancer treatment, regaining strength and confidence can often be as challenging as the treatment itself. Derby County Community Trust’s Active Recovery programme, delivered in partnership with University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, supports people in the five years following cancer treatment to rebuild their fitness, confidence and wellbeing through free weekly sessions led by specialist cancer rehabilitation staff.

For Diana, 46, joining the programme in June 2025 has helped her recover physically, emotionally and socially after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Diagnosed in November 2024, Diana underwent four months of chemotherapy before beginning maintenance treatment, which is due to finish in April 2027. Like many people after cancer treatment, she wanted to regain the fitness she had lost during months of isolation. 

On the impact the programme has had on her life, Diana said: “The programme’s helped me by getting fit again. Having chemo, I lost a lot of my fitness just sitting around, isolating at home, so I needed to rebuild and regain my fitness levels.”

Although finishing chemotherapy brought relief, Diana says the emotional impact of treatment remained. She explained: “I was relieved when my chemo finished. Just being susceptible to infections and stuff really played havoc with my mental health. So, finishing it and waiting for my eight weeks and then going back to doing all my activities was an absolutely great feeling.”

Diana first heard about Derby County Community Trust’s Active Recovery programme through another lymphoma patient before finding out more at the Macmillan Centre. 

When Diana attended her first session, she realised the effects of treatment were greater than she had expected. Diana explained: “I don’t know what I was expecting at my first active recovery session but I came and met Lee and he took me into the gym. He asked me what my energy was like and whether I was fatigued and I said, no, I don’t think I’m really fatigued.

“And then he took me onto the different gym equipment’s and he was like, you’re extremely fatigued. So, yeah, I wasn’t expecting to be shown that but I’m happy with it and I still go to the gym now.”

Alongside rebuilding her fitness, Diana says one of the biggest benefits has been the friendships she has made with others who understand what she has been through. She said: “Joining the programme has really helped because I enjoy mixing with other cancer patients and although our journey is different, we all share an emotional bond together. Everyone’s friendly, everyone’s happy and everyone’s living their life and it’s a really good community.”

The improvements haven’t just been emotional. Diana has also achieved something she never thought she would: “It’s helped me emotionally, socially and just getting my fitness back, my energy back. I started running last year, around November time. I did the 3K in March and I’ve never been able to run in my life.

“So, to do that while still having treatment was great and I can see myself getting fitter and better as well.”

Looking back, Diana would encourage anyone who is unsure about joining the programme to give it a try. She said: “Definitely come. You make lots of friends, everybody’s nice and if you stick with it, you can feel yourself getting better with your fitness because cancer treatment takes it out of you physically and emotionally and coming to these groups helps you.”

And for anyone who has recently finished cancer treatment and is beginning their recovery journey, she has one simple message: “There’s still life ahead of you.”