History and Key Achievements

In 2005, two fathers of cancer survivors approached the physical therapy faculty at Stony Brook University for assistance. They expressed their frustration that the family’s return to pre-cancer physical activities was a challenge despite the fact that their children were doing well from a medical perspective. They had a vision of a physical fitness and wellness program that understood the struggles of childhood cancer for survivors and their parents and siblings. With the support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, this vision has become a reality. Play Fit-Stay Fit! is a collaborative effort of physicians, academicians, and clinicians from Stony Brook University (SBU) and a community-based physical therapy and wellness center, Body in Balance, to improve the quality of life for childhood cancer survivors and their families.
Play Fit-Stay Fit! is the product of a partnership between the Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (in the University Medical Center) and the Physical Therapy Program (in the School of Health Technology and Management) at Stony Brook. The University Medical Center (UMC) and the Health Sciences Center (HSC) represent two great strengths of Stony Brook’s medical community. The UMC includes the School of Medicine and University Hospital, which has been recognized as among the country’s top fifteen teaching hospitals and is Long Island’s only academic tertiary care hospital serving a regional population of over two million. The HSC is comprised of the Schools of Dental Medicine, Nursing, Health Technology and Management, and Social Welfare.