Triumph Cancer Foundation

"You have cancer" is a sentence no one wants to hear.  However, statistics show that one in two people will hear those three words in their lifetime. Cancer treatment, whether it be radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery has a tremendous impact on a person's physical and emotional well-being.   Medical research studies indicate that exercise for cancer survivors not only decreases a survivor's chance of recurrence, boosts the immune system, but also improves quality of life after cancer.  In fact, the American Cancer Society has identified exercise as a "Social Driver of Health" (SDoH).  SDoHs are defined as nonmedical factors that influence overall health and well-being and have a profound impact on a person's ability to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer.  After undergoing her own treatment for cancer, our Founder Pam Whitehead identified a gap in the cancer care protocol.  No guidance or services were provided to assist in her physical recovery from cancer treatment.

The seeds for Triumph Fitness were planted and Pam decided to create a fitness program designed specifically for adult cancer survivors. Triumph Fitness launched in Sacramento in October of 2005.  In 2011, in order to expand and meet the growing demand for Triumph Fitness, the Triumph Cancer Foundation was created.  Triumph now offers a variety of programs to adult cancer survivors that are exercise-focused.  Triumph Fitness is our signature 12-week program, offered at no cost to the participant.  Triumph 2.0 is a continuation program for graduates of Triumph Fitness.  Triumph Tune-Ups are large group work outs in park settings and partner gyms for graduates.  And Triumph to the Summit is the summer hiking program for survivors and supporters looking to challenge themselves by hiking at high elevation.

The Triumph Cancer Foundation is run by Pam Whitehead along with a Board of Directors who passionately believes in the mission of the Foundation, and a team of dedicated fitness professionals who instruct our programs. The fact that Triumph Fitness regularly receives referrals from UCD Cancer Center, Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Cancer Center, and Dignity Cancer Center via their oncologists and cancer navigator specialists, is a testament to the value of the fitness program offered through the Triumph Cancer Foundation. While the Triumph Cancer Foundation will celebrate 13 years as a nonprofit organization in 2024, the Triumph Fitness program will mark its 19th anniversary in October of 2023.

What makes Triumph Fitness and the team behind it so special? The Triumph Instructor team are all certified cancer exercise specialists. This specialty training gives them the expertise to work with cancer survivors who come into the Triumph program with many challenges due to cancer treatment in surgeries. Issues can range from loss of muscle mass, balance problems, neuropathy, lymphedema, and tissue damage that inhibits flexibility and range of motion. On top of the physical challenges, many participants have loss of confidence, body self-image problems, and even depression. And lastly, they fear injuring themselves as their new "cancer bodies" do not function the same way as their old bodies before their cancer diagnosis. Triumph Fitness not only rebuilds their strength, educates them on the proper way to exercise, but also rebuilds confidence in a nurturing safe environment through the guidance of the Triumph team. Our goal is to set survivors on a path to a healthy life style moving forward.