Why Movement Matters

Like most physicians, my real education began after medical school. At my interview for a medial oncologist position at Texas Oncology – Tyler, I surprisingly noticed treadmills and other exercise equipment were available to the patients. I had never heard of such a thing! However, I soon saw the powerful effects of medical exercise when my first patient emerged healthier after six weeks of a grueling chemo-radiation combination therapy. I was sold on Kourage Health.

What you should know:

• Physical activity and exercise are medicine because it maintains our immune system, our heart, and our brain — and the ailments that affect all those organs are frequently improved with movement.
• Most people dealing with serious health conditions are intimidated by the thought of entering a traditional gym for exercise. However, designated Kourage Health centers (and Zoom resources) provide a welcoming environment, creating communities of people who feel safe and encouraged.
• The personalized assessment and guidance provided by the Kourage Health exercise specialists are essential. Even for patients who can’t stand or walk, everyone can do something to start moving. Often patients don’t even realize how far they have come until they look back weeks later at where they began.

Kourage Health’s mission of movement is helping countless individuals become more than their diagnosis as they maintain independence, improve functionality, and realize that they can enjoy life. Because of our documented success, medical systems across the country have reached out to us – with amazement at what we have done – to see how this program can be replicated or extended to others.

Our ultimate goal: to see movement applied as a standard prescription to persons with chronic health conditions. By improving the quality of individual lives, decreasing the progression of illness, and promoting lifelong wellness, we ultimately are raising the bar in community health. And that’s a mission we all can put in motion.

Warm regards,
Sasha Davis, MD
Kourage Health Medical Director

P.S. For physicians and other healthcare providers:
Kourage Health stands ready to assist you and your patients. Please contact us at 903-561-0149 for information on the physician referral process and additional details.

“Time after time, patients have shared that with Kourage Health they felt like they were not just an island by themselves. That this journey was not just them versus cancer or them versus fatigue or them versus fear. It was us – we will survive to the other side.”

Join Our Journey

Passion and Perseverance: Those two words best define my late father, Dr. Gary T. Kimmel. In 2001, he retired from his active practice as a medical oncologist to devote the rest of his life to changing the course of people’s lives and, ultimately, the standards of medical care.

As the founder of Kourage Health (initially Cancer Foundation For Life/FitSteps for Life), my dad was confident that he could make a difference with this idea of introducing a prescription for medical exercise. A physician specialist naturally focuses on disease, but through medical exercise, that focus could shift to empowering individuals to fight their illness better – even through the worst time of their lives.

My father passed away in October 2018, but the passion and perseverance he brought to Kourage Health continue to grow. I know he would be thrilled with the organization’s expanded mission that continues its cancer care legacy while welcoming people with a host of serious health conditions (from neurologic disorders and heart disease to diabetes and organ failure). This was his ultimate vision. He equally would embrace the new name and logo that now define the Kourage Health identity.

As Dr. Kimmel’s son, I remain awed by my dad’s legacy. As the current board president of Kourage Health, my hope is to carry on as he did . . . working with passion, loving others, and caring for the community. It’s my privilege to invite you to join our journey as a patient, family member, medical professional, donor, volunteer, or advocate.

It’s a journey for life —
Greg Kimmel, President
Kourage Health Board of Directors

Kourage Health:

A new day, a renewed commitment

Dear Friend,

It’s my pleasure to introduce you to Kourage Health:  a nonprofit healthcare organization like no other.  For more than 20 years, we have provided hope and healing to thousands of patients through the power of medical exercise.

A new day dawned for our organization in early 2023 with the debut of a new corporate name and logo. After much study, Kourage Health was selected for these reasons:

• To eliminate confusion – on the part of our patients, physicians, donors, and the community at large – resulting from the two former working names of Cancer Foundation For Life and FitSteps for Life.
• To provide a brand that recognizes our expanded outreach to individuals with a wide variety of serious health conditions – including cancer, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, heart disease, and lung, liver, and kidney disorders.

While our name and logo have changed, our steadfast mission remains:

Kourage Health believes in the incredible power of medical exercise as a “prescription” for renewed life.

With this identity transition, we renew our commitment to our patients and families, to our referring physicians, and to our generous donors and healthcare partners who make our programs possible.  Whether you are new to the Kourage Health family or a long-time friend, we are here for you!

Moving forward together,
Jennifer Selman, MBA
Chief Executive Officer