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Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be one of the most stressful and isolating experiences of a person’s life. With a worrying prognosis, they are often left with overwhelming fear and a multitude of questions while they wait for specialist appointments, surgeries, and doctor visits.
Aside from pamphlets and online searches, these patients have limited options for support to help them navigate this unplanned and challenging new chapter.
The Jack Ady Cancer Centre pharmacy team (based in the Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge) made it their mission to offer some much-needed support for their patients with an innovative approach: The Walk Club.
This drop-in club invites patients anywhere on their cancer journeys to join a weekly walk where pharmacy team members meet up with patients to take a stroll, answer questions, and connect. For over a year, the club has met every week, rain or shine.
Pharmacist Verity Ouellette took charge of the Walk Club early in 2025 and it quickly became her passion project.
“We know that exercise is one of the most effective things we can do outside of traditional treatment to help reduce cancer recurrence, plus many common medications have long-term side effects like joint pain and fatigue and the best thing for these symptoms is movement,” said Verity. “There is so much scientific evidence showing how beneficial movement and exercise is to prevent reoccurrence, improve outcomes, and support general well-being.”
Despite the benefits, it can be challenging for patients to get moving. Verity recognized that challenge and saw an opportunity to offer more than advice.
“When we call a patient and hear that they’re tired and they’re hurting, instead of just telling them, ‘You’ll feel better if you exercised more,’ we can give them a social prescription and say, ‘Come join us,’” she said. “We created the answer we were looking for.”
Every week, a few members of the pharmacy team meet at the Centre and patients have a standing invitation to join in when they can.
“It’s a drop-in program, so people aren’t pressured to attend,” said Verity. “I always joke that it’s a walk club, not a run club—the idea is to create a space where people feel welcome and can go at their own pace.”
Whenever possible, the group walks outside to enjoy the benefits of fresh air and sunshine, but even during a snowstorm, they still meet up—they just move their walk indoors. The number of patients who join every week fluctuates, but for some, it is a priority to be there every week.
Patient Catherine Darnell was referred to the group early on in her cancer journey and she has been attending regularly ever since.
“I started with the group just when I was in the diagnosis stage,” said Catherine. “I had the chance to get to know the pharmacy team at the Jack Ady Cancer Centre even before I had my surgery.”
For Catherine, finding the Walk Club was just what she needed in a difficult time.
“There’s something about being out walking with someone that really stimulates conversation,” she said. “One of the best things about doing this walk is that only two people can walk side by side on the sidewalk, so as the walk progresses, you end up switching between who you’re walking next to. Sometimes you’re walking next to a pharmacist, sometimes another pharmacy team member, sometimes another patient. Those different perspectives really helped me get a sense of what to expect and gave me some peace of mind.”
Verity finds that those meaningful connections can be crucial for patients.
“Patients really appreciate connecting with people who understand what they’re going through during what can typically be a pretty isolating, overwhelming time,” said Verity. “Sometimes they come out and they ask questions about their health and sometimes they just need to vent about what they’re going through. It’s a safe space where everybody is either excited for them or commiserating with them.”
Verity understands how important that support can be from personal experience.
“The Walk Club is particularly meaningful to me because I’m actually eight years into my own cancer journey,” said Verity. “So I’ve been through a lot of what these patients are going through. I know that talking about it is tough, but I also know it can be incredibly valuable.”
Verity said she is able to bring her personal experience to her role to help her build professional relationships with patients.
“It gives me a perspective beyond clinical knowledge and lets me approach things from a different direction,” she said. “I can offer my clinical expertise as a pharmacist, but I’m also sharing insights from my own journey. I feel like it’s a really good way for me to help turn what was arguably the worst time of my life into something valuable for others.”
Verity recognizes that her approach with the Walk Club would not work in every pharmacy, but she encourages other pharmacy teams to think creatively about how to support patients.
“The Walk Club is just one example of something that’s not too overwhelming to get up and running,” said Verity. “It’s great to find opportunities for interactions to be casual, supportive, and in a setting outside of the traditional clinical setting. I think it all comes down to empathy, availability, and consistency.”
She said the connections she’s able to form in this setting have allowed her to provide better care for patients.
“It helps build trust and helps patients see us as more approachable and understand that we’re invested in their overall wellbeing, not just in their medications. That trust carries back into their care,” she said. “They’re more likely to see us as partners in their care.”
For Catherine, the support she has found in the Walk Club has made her health journey less intimidating.
“By the time I really got into the thick of my treatment, I already knew so many people at the hospital. I’d be greeted by name and the pharmacy team all knew where I was at in my treatment stage,” said Catherine. “It’s pretty rare that you get to spend quality time with health professionals who have that kind of expertise. I’m just blown away by their generosity with their time and their attention.”
Making things easier for patients like Catherine makes all of the effort worth it for Verity.
“We’re trying to create a space where people are safe, comfortable, celebrated, and supported,” she said. “It’s really affirming to hear from patients that this group has a positive impact for them because they’re the heart of why we’re doing this—these connections remind me why this work matters.”
