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Editor’s Note: As many in our local community know, Mr. Peter Pietz passed away on November 26. In memory of his life and his amazing contributions to Baxter County, we are re-running an article about the Pietz Cancer Support House and its Knock Out Cancer Boxing Class. For those wishing to donate in memory of Mr. Pietz, the Pietz family is requesting that residents donate to the support house, the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas, North Arkansas Youth Center in Cotter, or Hospice of the Ozarks. This article below was originally published on December 15, 2021 just before our very first edition that launched to the public on December 20, 2021. The article is free to the public.
Peitz Cancer Resource Coordinator Melissa Hudson and her crew of feisty ladies laced up their gloves to knock out cancer at the Baxter Regional Medical Center’s Wellness Education Center Tuesday afternoon.
The Peitz Cancer Support House hosts the Knock Out Cancer Boxing Class each Tuesday and Thursday for patients receiving cancer treatment in the Baxter County area.
“We had a survivor that was going through treatments and she said ‘I’m so angry,’” Hudson said. “That’s one of the stages of grief that cancer patients go through sometimes and I said, I need to get you a boxing glove and this was just perfect.”
The boxing class runs from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Patients are put through their paces, starting with a warmup before rolling into a weightlifting session.
After the weights, patients put on their gloves and hit the speed bag to get their heart rate going.
“It’s a way to release frustration, stress, fatigue,” Hudson said. “It releases endorphins and makes you feel good. It’s energizing. We laugh a lot. We sparkle a lot, that’s what we call it here, not sweat but sparkle, and you know it just makes you feel that way from head to toe.”
With their heart rate elevated, the class moves on to the classic punching bag to work on combos. There, the women kept their arms up while unleashing a flurry of punches at the bags.
At one point, the class switched up their combos by throwing in some light kicks for fun.
“This is the greatest thing ever to keep your mind off what’s going on,” said TJ Hill, a regular boxer in the class. “We are so blessed with this strengthening especially and you know, as they say, there’s no hill for a climber.”
After the class, the women went over their experiences with staying positive during treatment. They said the class gave them extra confidence and a sense of camaraderie that let them know they had a support group to lean on during difficult times.
For Donna Uhrhammer, the workouts help work out the most important muscle in her body.
“It not only helps the muscles in our body, but most of all, it helps the mind,” Uhrhammer said. “It puts a mindset that’s victorious.”
Hudson said she started the boxing classes this year and usually has four to five patients in each class. The Peitz Cancer Support House also offers an Intermedia Yoga class for those seeking a slower workout.
The Peitz Cancer Support House was founded 21 years ago and was endowed by the Peitz family. The house sits outside of Baxter Regional Medical Center and other medical houses like the Mruk Family Education Center on Aging.
The Peitz House offers a comprehensive support system for patients starting from their first diagnosis through treatment and beyond.
Services include support sessions, one-on-one counseling, a resource library and a care package. The house also hosts a wig and scarf bank and includes mastectomy/lumpectomy supplies for patients.
The Peitz Cancer Support House is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Patients may walk in at any time.
“With the Peitz Cancer Support House, nobody has to go through it alone,” Hudson said. “Even if the person going through it lives miles away, we can still help get their family members and get them information.”
