Patient Story ID: 1398939

Background

By his 40s, weight gain and a back operation made this former successful athlete, turned workaholic, realize he needed to find a sustainable approach to fitness that coexisted with his passion for working long hours at his computer. He did, and in his early 50s Scott Eriksson started competing in Masters Track & Field, winning more than 10 National Championships before he turned 60.

But, at 60, after a workout, Scott saw blood in his urine, and soon thereafter, a diagnosis of high-grade, nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer forbode that it would all come to a screeching halt.

Except it didn’t.

In the 15 months of treatment following the diagnosis, Scott remained active and even had his best year in Masters Track & Field, winning 2 World Championships, 5 National Championships, and setting 2 American Age Group records.

Approach

Scott credits much of this success to his approach to exercise. More importantly, Scott believes staying active and competing have been instrumental in his successful treatment.

Urologist Dr Solomon Woldu at UT Southwestern agrees: “I am confident that Scott’s attitude, energy, and approach to exercise are contributors to his ongoing successful treatment and his quality of life during treatment.”

Maintenance

After his initial diagnosis, Scott’s proactive search for the right physician led him to Dr Solomon Woldu. Dr Woldu encouraged Scott to stay as active as possible during his treatment, while also providing Scott with clinical trial options that fit his active lifestyle. This encouragement gave Scott the confidence to continue his fitness routines and competitions throughout his bladder cancer journey, while remaining mindful of any physical or mental limitations he was feeling.

Here are Scott’s tips for integrating fitness into his bladder cancer treatment journey:

Find easy, anytime, anywhere, exercise opportunities. Microburst (1- to 3-minute) exercise as a coffee substitute.

Making doing microburst exercises 3 to 4 times a day convenient, removing 4 major barriers to exercise during the day.

Doing less (now) to lead to doing more (over time).

The top microburst exercises for mobility, balance, strength, and metabolism that anyone can do.

Quality of Life

Scott’s exercise habits also kept him sane during the diagnosis. In turn, Scott gained a new appreciation for being in the moment and embracing what he is capable of both physically and by sharing his experience with how a simple approach to exercise contributed to his successful journey.