This section is The content in this section is supplied by GlobeNewswire for the purposes of distributing press releases on behalf of its clients. Postmedia has not reviewed the content. by GlobeNewswire Article content
Amanda and her team are launching The Move Club in B.C. this fall with planned expansion to Ontario and the Maritime provinces soon after.
Sign In or Create an Account
or View more offersArticle content
Chilliwack, 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.
Article contentWe apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.Article content
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Whatever the activity, Dr. Amanda Wurz wants them to have the chance to move, play and simply be kids.
Article contentArticle content
The 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.
Article content
“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.
Article content
“That’s something I think our students and the UFV community can be very proud of.”
Article content
The roots of The Move Club go back to Amanda’s postdoctoral work at the University of Calgary.
Article content
“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.”
Article content
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
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.
Article content
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.
Article content
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.
Article content
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.
Article content
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.
Article content
“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.