by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

Since 2005, a 12-week exercise program at The Claremont Club has given more than 1,000 cancer survivors a new lease on life.

Living Well After Cancer includes a complementary three-month membership to the club, allowing survivors to participate in twice weekly classes focused on bettering their health through physical activity.

Sessions include tai chi, aquatic exercise, and cardio and strength training.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, Joy Powell enrolled in the program in late 2013 after finishing treatment at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center’s Cancer Care Center. After completing her Living Well After Cancer classes she joined TCC and has volunteered with the program since 2018.

“I started volunteering to help make the program run a little smoother,” Powell said. “Then once the club got shut down and sold during COVID, I wrote a proposal for the new owners to let them know about the program and see if they’re interested in starting it back. And they were.”

The program was revived in February of 2023 with help from Antionette Mara, TCC’s group exercise director, and Powell through fundraising efforts and donations.

Recent graduates Terri McDermott and Robin Blahut were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The program helped Blahut get her mobility back.

“I had such limited movement, but doing the aqua classes, I have full movement now,” Blahut said. “It encouraged me to try to move more.”

Both said the program not only helped them regain physical strength and mobility, but also aided their mental well-being.

“When you hang out with other people that have had cancer, they kind of understand where you’re coming from and what sort of mental journey you’ve been through,” McDermott said, adding she now feels, “like I’m on the second half of my life. It has totally changed my mindset about how I feel about my cancer and myself moving forward.”

Joy Powell helped to revive The Claremont Club’s Living Well After Cancer program in 2023. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

Blahut said people should enroll in the program “because they’ll get their life back. It makes cancer not be the bad thing. It makes cancer be almost a great step off point for that whole journey of rediscovery.”

The program also moved the pair to begin volunteering this year.

While the benefits of exercise are well documented, research indicates it may also be beneficial for preventing cancer.

“There is some evidence that physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer,” a 2020 study from the National Cancer Institute reported.

“Physical activity, especially moderate to vigorous, lowers risk for post-menopausal cancer and may also lower risk for pre-menopausal cancer,” according to an American Cancer Society table posted at, cancer.org.

“This program has helped me feel like I’ve given back,” Powell said. “I’ve helped others where I didn’t really get that from my career. When I hear these things, it makes me feel like my presence means something here.

“A lot of cancer survivors feel like their body betrayed them or they don’t know what their body is capable of doing after they’ve been through chemo or radiation or surgery,” Powell said. “They’re hesitant to try some things, and the beauty of our program is we want them to find something they enjoy so that exercising isn’t a chore to them, it’s something they look forward to.”

The next program session opens Monday, September 9 for men and Tuesday, September 10 for women at The Claremont Club, 1777 Monte Vista Ave. Men’s classes meet from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday and Wednesday. Women’s courses are held from 11 a.m. to noon and 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Class sizes max out at eight for men and 16 for women. Classes are led by TCC’s Nurys Saldaña-Diaz and Julie Boultwood.

The program is free and open to cancer survivors in their first five years of post-treatment. Requirements are a commitment to the 12-week course, reliable transportation, and an exercise release from a physician.

To learn more, visit claremontclub.com, hover over the “Giving Back” tab and select the LWAC option. Email Powell at lwac@claremontclub.com to begin the screening process.