UFV’s Amanda Wurz helps kids with cancer and blood disorders move, play, and connect

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Postmedia has not reviewed the content. by GlobeNewswire UFV's Amanda Wurz helps kids with cancer and blood disorders move, play, and connectAuthor of the article:Dr. Amanda Wurz GNWAmanda and her team are launching The Move Club in B.C. this fall with planned expansion to Ontario and the Maritime provinces soon after.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountChilliwack, B.C., Sept. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — (Chilliwack, B.C.) September 10, 2026 – For children affected by cancer or blood disorders, staying active might mean performing gentle shoulder circles from a hospital bed. On other days, it could mean racing up and down the stairs to collect stuffed animals or learning how to play a new game or sport. Whatever the activity, Dr. Amanda Wurz wants them to have the chance to move, play and simply be kids. Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThe University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) assistant professor is leading a national project bringing safe, accessible physical activity to children and adolescents with cancer and blood disorders. Wurz and her team, which includes UFV students, are launching The Move Club in B.C. this fall with planned expansion to Ontario and the Maritime provinces soon after. “I feel like it’s special for UFV to be leading this. We have a lot of UFV students and trainees contributing in both staff and volunteer roles to help make it happen,” Wurz says. “They are contributing to a program with national reach, and a long-term goal to improve access to physical activity support for children and families regardless of where they live. “That’s something I think our students and the UFV community can be very proud of.” The roots of The Move Club go back to Amanda’s postdoctoral work at the University of Calgary. “We know that during treatment, physical activity decreases or stops altogether because the kids aren’t feeling well, they’re in and out of hospital, or they’re hooked up to lines that can make it uncomfortable and hard,” Wurz says. “That was the impetus for developing the first program — to find a way to meet kids virtually and help them stay active with safe and enjoyable play-based activities.” Funded by Michael Smith Health Research BC and the Canadian Cancer Society, The Move Club is a 12-week, fully virtual program offering individualized physical activity support to children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer or a blood disorder who are on- or off-treatment. Families without the necessary technology or reliable internet access can be provided with a tablet and data for the duration of the program. Children also receive Fitbits to help measure their activity. Wurz and her team have spent the past year working with children and adolescents, their families, clinicians and community partners to build on what they learned from the Alberta program. The Alberta program was for those on-treatment only, but in B.C. and across Ontario and the Maritime provinces, The Move Club will be for those on-treatment as well as those who have completed treatment. The Alberta program was also entirely individual, but in B.C., Wurz heard overwhelmingly that children also need opportunities to connect with others who understand what they’re experiencing. “A child might be immunocompromised, and they can’t see anyone else. They can’t have friends over and it can be really isolating,” she says. “The treatment might cause appearance changes, weight gain, or muscle wasting — and even when kids have social opportunities, they might feel they look different from their peers and can’t engage in activities the way they could before. This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.“And so, having the opportunity to be with children who are going through the same experience can be very beneficial.” The thinking around exercise and pediatric cancer and blood disorders is also changing. With respect to pediatric cancer, decades ago, when survival rates were much lower, the focus was understandably on treatment. “But now in Canada upwards of 85 per cent of children diagnosed with cancer will survive at least five years, and many will go on to live for decades following treatment,” Wurz says. “As medicine and care have advanced, studies have followed that show how safe, individualized physical activity can be highly beneficial for patients.” The Move Club meets children wherever they happen to be physically on a given day, adapting activities to how they’re feeling and where they are in their treatment and recovery. “If they’ve just had a certain treatment or they’re feeling unwell, it might just be gentle shoulder circles,” Wurz says. “If they’re in bed, it might just be getting up and down from that bed, and when they’re feeling better and they’re at home, it might be running up and down the stairs getting stuffed animals to show us.” “After treatment, movement might look like learning skills to support engagement in a favourite sport or activity or gaining strength, flexibility, or fitness, and we had really good buy-in from families in Alberta because it works at their child’s pace.” Behaviour-change techniques are also built into the program, helping children develop the confidence to remain active after their 12 weeks with The Move Club ends. For Wurz, working with the children is a regular reminder that despite everything happening around them, they still want many of the same things as any other child. “They may be looking or functioning differently or feeling unwell, but when they’re feeling up to it, they just want to be treated like a kid, and they want to play like a kid, and make friends,” she says. Wurz is hopeful this program will take root across Canada and become sustainable for years to come. The ultimate reward will be seeing children live well during treatment and carry that active life with them long after treatment ends. “I feel incredibly privileged to work with these children and families,” she says. “I’ve had parents tell me their child was able to keep moving even through some of the most intensive parts of treatment. I’ve seen children find ways to play and be active on really difficult days, and we have had families send photos months or years later of their child mountain biking, horseback riding, or graduating from high school. “Not every child gets that future, and it makes the time we have incredibly meaningful. Their strength and resilience stay with you.” TheMoveClub.png – UFV’s Dr. Amanda Wurz is bringing The Move Club to B.C., providing opportunities for children with cancer and blood disorders to exercise and stay active.Located in the beautiful Fraser Valley just east of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) is a fully accredited, public university that enrolls approximately 15,000 students per year. UFV has campuses and locations in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, and Hope.We offer more than 100 programs, including three master’s degrees, 21 bachelor’s degrees with majors, minors, and extended minors in more than 35 subject areas, four graduate certificates, and more than a dozen trades and technology programs.For media inquiries:Stacy Kirpichova, MA Director, UFV Communications stacy.kirpichova@ufv.caStacy Kirpichova University of the Fraser Valley 6044406044 stacy.kirpichova@ufv.ca Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.