Three-time cancer survivor Sue Clark-Pitrolo said going through the cancer journey made her feel "powerless".
"It's all about the doctors, you just feel like a tumour and not an individual anymore," she said.
But Ms Clarke-Pirtolo turned that feeling into strength, and her endeavours have earned her the annual Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation Chairman's Medal during National Volunteer Week.
During her cancer recovery in 2018, Ms Clarke-Pirtolo established the Kaden Centre at Warabrook - a facility that helps cancer patients remain physically active during their treatment.
"Whether you're in cancer treatment or in survivorship, going from being active to not at all can lead to massive muscle atrophy. For me, it got to the point where I couldn't stand up from a chair," she said.
"The saying 'if you don't use it you'll lose it' is really true when it comes to cancer. But with exercise oncology like that which we provide at the Kaden Centre, allied health professionals design individualised exercise sessions around your cancer, to help you stay in the best physical condition you can.
"You can literally walk in the door and take your wig off - many do! It's a safe, happy space. It's not a hospital. We don't call you a 'patient'. And talking to other people with cancer means you don't have to protect anyone, like you might with family."
Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation chair Jennifer Leslie said she was "delighted" to bestow the medal on Ms Clarke-Pirtolo for her "vision and determination".
