Cancer patients Zumba their way to healing

It’s time to party, prevent and prevail together! Let’s exercise our right to unite as a Zumba community worldwide for the first ever medical research grant exclusively representing Zumba. Come rock out with friends for a good cause while you help raise funds for global research that could ultimately save millions of lives around the world.”

That intriguing invite in bold pink background sums up the essence of Party in Pink. Alberto Perlman, co-founder and CEO of award-winning Zumba Fitness, aptly explained why Zumba instructors are the best fundraisers for cancer prevention research. “They are passionate about dance and inspiring people to make their lives better,” Perlman enthused. 

Initially, they held massive classes to raise funds to help instructors coping with breast cancer. Every amazing success story inspired the Zumba Fitness community and leadership to do more especially when one survivor told Perlman “Zumba is the one hour I forget I have cancer!”

One of these survivors Michelle Lombardo taught full time while undergoing cancer treatment. “I am a recent breast cancer survivor, and teaching my Zumba classes was an integral part of my healing process throughout my treatment regimen. Zumba saved my life in many ways. Just knowing that throughout my treatment, I could still teach Zumba classes and the inspiration that my students say they get from me when in fact I do the classes because I get inspired by them. The joy that you get teaching people, the joy that you get doing the program is a blessing,” Michelle shared.

Michelle teaches Zumba classes in her own studio Wicked Z and Dance Fitness in Rocky Hill, Connecticut.

Another survivor, Diana Walton is a stage 4 breast cancer survivor and a Zumba instructor since 2008 in Hawaii. She was told she would not survive. “I am in Hawaii because I am a military wife. I took pills doctors gave me after the surgery for the first three months and then I just went green and exercised. And I said I am not going to die. I am going to fight. It has been five years since I was diagnosed in 2009. The Zumba classes I teach in Hawaii are massive. I have 200 students in every class. When they see the joy in my face and my big hair, they ask me if I am a survivor. And I gleefully say yes. Life is full of joy and happiness, and Zumba has done this to me. Cancer made me look better. I didn’t use to look like this before,” Diana bravely stated.

Zumba Fitness launched the Party in Pink charity campaign three years ago to help the fight against breast cancer. Together with Zumba instructors and fans, over US$3 million was raised worldwide. Donations were coming from all over the world, but these were going to US institutions, prompting others to inquire about funding for local grants.

“What if we discover something new that will benefit people all around the world? We don’t want to do something that is drug based. What if we do something on nutrition? I am a health nut. I am very strict with how I eat. I call myself a functional eater. I eat for function. I became like this because of a friend of mine who, seven or eight years ago, had melanoma and lymphoma with 22 tumors in his brain. He decided to go the nutrition route. He just started juicing fruits and vegetables. And he cured himself.  Totally. I believe the body can heal itself and prevent disease,” Perlman narrated.

Hence, Zumba Fitness decided to channel the funds instead to breast cancer prevention research, which has a global rather than local impact. This new grant will be managed by Susan G. Komen, to which Zumba Fitness is guaranteeing a minimum donation of $3 million over three years.

A Party in Pink Zumbathon charity event runs between August 1 and October 31. The goal is to raise US$1 million for the Zumba Global Research Grant for Breast Cancer Prevention every year. 75 percent of the event ticket fees goes directly to breast cancer prevention research, no administration fees go to either Komen or Zumba Fitness. And since every Zumba fan loves to show up in Zumba gear, 30 percent of Party in Pink Zumba wear merchandise sold will also be donated to the Zumba Global Research Grant for Breast Cancer Prevention.

This innovative grant will study the effects of flaxseed consumption on pre-menopausal women as a safe, low-cost, highly accessible solution to help prevent breast cancer. The focus of the research on flaxseed is on its component called lignan, which shows promise in preventing breast cancer. Zumba’s grant will finance clinical trials using flaxseed on younger, high-risk women. The seed from the flax plant is inexpensive to obtain and is available worldwide. An interdisciplinary team of renowned scientists from two top research institutions — The University of Kansas Medical Center and The University of Texas at Austin — lead  this groundbreaking research.

“Komen’s global expertise in research and funded grant programs and peer review process is unmatched in the industry, and now they’re leveraging their flawless research process to ensure the highest quality research team and fund management for this trailblazing medical research grant,” Zumba Fitness explained.

Zumba is only the second company to launch a program to raise at least $1 million annually for research through Dallas-based Komen. The other participant, American Airlines, is much larger in size. “We’re very excited to be working with Zumba on this research grant,” Komen said. “They’ve exceeded their guaranteed minimum donation of $1 million every year we’ve been working with them so far.”

 â€œEvery company can donate money to the cause, but Zumba changes lives — especially for cancer patients and survivors,” Perlman noted. “Some women with breast cancer tell us they are very self-conscious about how they look physically and that Zumba makes them feel sexy and alive. It helps them develop the attitude that they need to fight this tragic disease.”

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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com.