Published 17 August 2019. Reviewed 16 September 2022.

Dr Bram Kuiper is a clinical psychologist, scientific entrepreneur and CEO of Tired of Cancer and founder of the Untire app. With over thirty years of experience in the field of psycho-oncology and in co-writing treatment protocols, he has devoted his career to help all those who suffer from cancer-related fatigue.

"'Cancer-Related Fatigue (CRF) isn’t imaginary. What many people don’t know is that fatigue is one of the most common side effects of cancer and its treatments. 80-90 per cent of all cancer patients experience cancer fatigue within one year of diagnosis and treatment. Beyond treatment and long term, 40 per cent of patients experience CRF."

"CRF is often misunderstood as common tiredness, but cancer-related fatigue is a different kind of tired. It can be described as debilitating, impacting all aspects of daily life. Simple routines like getting dressed or eating a meal can become insurmountable tasks. Unfortunately, there is a lack of awareness around this kind of fatigue. This leaves many people enduring fatigue in silence without the resources and support to manage it."

"Why the silence? While there is no magic pill to eliminate CRF, resources for managing it do exist."

"As a psychologist in oncology, I witnessed the benefits of psychological and physiotherapeutical face-to-face interventions and online therapy with hundreds of people experiencing fatigue. The Untire app was founded on these interventions and insights from a team of people with cancer, researchers and IT developers."

"The Untire programme aims to keep users mentally and physically active. It connects a variety of aspects which can lead to feelings of fatigue, such as sleeping problems, worry, fear of recurrence, limited activity, and malnutrition. Through monitoring energy levels, establishing boundaries, using tips, stress reduction exercises and physical activities people can better manage their energy, thus their fatigue."

"Talking about fatigue with your healthcare team can be helpful. CFR is something; let’s start a simple conversation because every fatigued cancer patient is one too many."

The Untire mobile application is now officially approved by the NHS.

To find out more about the Untire programme, visit www.untire.me

 

“FANTASTIC! A really superb idea to help cancer patients with the dreaded fatigue” – Rue, member of the Ovacome community who tested the Untire app for us

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