LEWISTON – A foundation created by bicycle race king Lance Armstrong has awarded a $50,000 grant to St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center.

The money, to be disbursed over two years, will create a nutrition and exercise program for people fighting cancer, said Jennifer Radel, spokeswoman for the Lewiston hospital.

Too few doctors and patients fully understand how eating and exercise affect cancer recovery, Radel said, and both issues are underserved by some insurances.

Nationwide, the Lance Armstrong Foundation gave grants to 20 community nonprofit organizations. The money is targeted for cancer research, initiatives that aid survivors, coping with pain, emotional support and end-of-life care.

Each winning organization completed a rigorous application process, and proposals were reviewed by a selection committee consisting of cancer survivors and cancer community experts and advisers.

Susan Olson Gwozdz, the executive director of Prevention and Wellness at St. Mary’s, will coordinate the program.

“We are thrilled and honored to be among such an extraordinary group of organizations that all share a passion for helping people affected by cancer,” Gwozdz said in a prepared statement.

The program will be run in the hospital’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. The center will create a program that will use occupational and physical therapists, exercise physiologists, and registered dietitian services during and after cancer treatment to help cancer survivors maintain fitness and nutritional levels.

“The grant helps us get the program off the ground,” Radel said.

Armstrong is a cancer survivor. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996 at age 25, before his record seven Tour de France wins. His treatment included two surgeries and four rounds of chemotherapy, according to the foundation’s Web site, www.livestrong.org.

“Through its grant program, the Lance Armstrong Foundation seeks to create a nationwide community of individuals and organizations that understand the challenges and opportunities a cancer experience presents for a lifetime – a community committed to collaboratively addressing the physical, emotional and practical issues faced by cancer survivors,” said Suzanne Kho, the foundation’s director of grants in a prepared statement.