Vincent Guerrier and Léa Dall'aglio in the hematology department of the CHU de Caen.
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EMERIC GOUEBAULT
Every Thursday, in its “off-field” section, “20 Minutes” explores new spaces of expression of sport, unexpected, unusual, clever or in full swing.
Journalists Vincent Guerrier and Léa Dall'aglio wish to inform as many people as possible about the benefits of physical activity in the fight against cancer.
While some progress is notable on the subject, France is still struggling to move on to make “healthy sport” a real national policy.
When they met at the Montpellier Graduate School of Journalism in 2016, Vincent Guerrier and Léa Dall'aglio had no special plans to devote the beginning of their personal and professional life to the issue of “healthy sport”.
It is the fate and illness of Vincent, diagnosed with cancer of the lymphatic system in 2016, when he was only 23 years old, which will turn the lives of the two lovers upside down.
Before even knowing what he was suffering from, this avid cycling and running enthusiast was forced to stop all physical activity.
“I had become very tired from the side effects of the disease which I was unaware of at the time,” he says.
But when the diagnosis falls, he does not imagine for a single moment to remain bedridden at home for long months.
Pushed by his family, worried to see him wanting to resume regular physical activity, he comes to ask his doctor the question.
"At the time he is quite skeptical," confides the young man.
He doesn't particularly encourage me to move.
He tells us that I can do a little sport but that we have to be careful, that we have to listen to ourselves and not get into too much difficulty.
"
The two journalists lead the investigation
"He doesn't tell her not to do it," Lea intervenes.
He tells her that he will realize for himself that each chemo is going to be more difficult to digest than the last and that he is going to be more and more tired.
However, the reverse is true.
"We realize very quickly in the facts that Vincent is getting better and better over the chemo",
Léa testifies.
“After each chemo session, I was on the gas for almost a week.
I compare it to a feeling of a hangover that lasts.
And the more I did sport, the more this unpleasant feeling reduced to two days, one day.
Sometimes even the next day it was better because I had gone for a little jog.
At the end of chemo, I was lining up for running races and sometimes doing times that I had never done before.
Above all, I felt less tired, I had fewer side effects.
"
Vincent will even push the challenge to complete the Lille marathon in May 2017. Intrigued by these results without appeal, this curious couple then decides to dig into the question of the benefits of an adapted physical activity (APA) in the fight against Cancer.
“We were amazed by the fact that studies on the subject had existed since the 1980s and that they had not had more impact in the meantime.
And when we saw all the benefits of physical activity during cancer treatment, we thought we couldn't keep it to ourselves, it was impossible to have this treasure in our hands. and not to do anything with it, ”explains the journalist.
From there was born a documentary entitled
Malade de sport
broadcast on France 3 Normandie which follows the journey of three cancer patients who all challenged themselves to take the start of the race "the Courants of liberty" in Caen in June 2019 , then a website of the same name which lists all the information they have found on the subject, and finally a book:
Sick of sport, a remedy against cancer
published by Faubourg.
Their goal, according to Vincent, "to publicize a subject which was often treated only on the surface" by their fellow journalists.
Today, they continue to fight so that the issue of adapted physical activity is treated on an equal footing with the rest of conventional treatments.
Understand: drug therapies.
Vincent and little Aténa, affected by leukemia at the age of 5, during the filming of the documentary - LEA DALL'AGLIO
"Very few drugs are as effective as sport"
If things have nevertheless evolved a lot on the subject in recent years, there is still a long way to go before the prescription of physical activity by healthcare staff in the case of diseases such as cancer - but not that - does not fit definitively into customs.
Because from a scientific point of view, the question no longer arises.
"The latest Inserm study concludes that physical activity is a real medicine for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, its conclusion is final", says Valérie Fourneyron, doctor by profession and former Minister of Sport and Youth behind the amendment to the Health Act of 2016 allowing doctors to prescribe physical activity to their patients suffering from long-term illnesses.
“There are two figures to always keep in mind, engages Alexandre Feltz, general practitioner and deputy to the mayor of Strasbourg in charge of Public and environmental health.
Physical activity decreases the risk of contracting cancer by at least 30%.
And the APA reduces the risk of recurrence by 30 to 40%, that's huge!
There are very few drugs that are that effective.
In addition, the drug "physical activity" acts on an incredible number of diseases.
The data of science, we have them, the reports are there.
"The problem, continues Vincent Guerrier," is that all the advances start from initiatives launched at the local level by health professionals very committed to these issues, who create programs and spur the movement.
This was the case in Strasbourg in particular, a pioneer city in the “sport and health prescription” program.
Vincent and Léa are all the better placed to testify that after their visit to the CHU of Caen, the boy's hematologist set up a program based on the APA.
“It's our best victory, congratulates the young woman.
One or two years after him, he set up, in the hematology department of the Caen hospital, adapted physical activity classes twice a week offered directly in patients' rooms.
"
Today at Dunkirk hospital, Dr Fruchart remembers: “It's true that at the time I was wondering if Vincent was going to be able to support the load of physical activity.
But I witnessed its progress, I accompanied them in their process and that then enabled us to set up activities for the other hospitalized patients.
Their example can be used by other services and other hospitals.
To all, ideally.
“Yes, but to be able to develop this, replies Dr Fruchart, there has to be an institutional will.
However, as far as I know, we will say that this is not one of the priorities of the public hospital.
"
When will APA be covered by health insurance?
“What is clearly lacking today is the financing of physical activity through health insurance.
This is the gap that we did not pass in France ”, confirms Alexandre Feltz, author of the book
Sport health on prescription, manifesto for the movement
(Ecuador editions).
“In addition, there is a desire today in the population for more natural medicine, I would say, less chemical.
And there we have this drug which is available, which is organized, structured, we have sports educators, we have doctors who prescribe.
The rocker, I repeat, is funding.
I am a doctor, when I prescribe a drug, it is taken care of.
I will not prescribe something that is not taken care of, it does not exist that in France.
"
After years of investigation, Léa Dall'aglio admits to feeling “still a little reluctance on the part of the politician, in particular because it costs money to put all that in place.
In the short term, yes, but over a longer period of time the game is really worth the addition.
Valérie Fourneyron: "A member of the ARS of Strasbourg once told me '100,000 euros is what costs me a single recurrence of breast cancer. But with the same amount I can finance three APA educators ".
The calculation is quickly done ".
"Prevention and non-drug therapies have not found the economic model - because that's what we're talking about, eh - but we will have to come there no matter what," warns the deputy mayor of Strasbourg.
Without going so far as to talk about full reimbursement, Valérie Fourneyron offers at
a minimum
"a support that ensures that there is no inequality of resources and territories.
If we say that APA is a therapy, there must be a collective support by our care system during treatment, that's all.
Ideally, APA should also be taught in all medical schools across the country, which is not currently the case.
"It moves according to local initiatives, once again", she regrets.
"There is a module at the medical school of Strasbourg on" health sport "but obviously that must be included in the curricula of all the universities in France as soon as possible", claims his side Alexandre Feltz.
If the picture is (yet) not all rosy, "I find that we have made enormous progress and we must not fall into pessimism," concludes the former minister.
We are moving forward and what we lack today is a national system, a framework.
But everything that is happening in the territory has also enabled us to make progress.
The experience of Vincent and Léa is the best example ”.
In remission since July 2018, he has also set a new goal for 2021: take the start of the “Born to ride 2021”, a long-distance cycling race without assistance reserved for tough people.
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