Thousands of women around the world are fighting breast cancer by dragon boating. As breast cancer awareness month kicks off, Frances O'Rourkeexplains who the pink dragons are.
It's a hot summer evening. Down by the river, a group of women - 40 and 50 somethings and more, in bright pink T-shirts - are donning lifejackets, getting ready for a training session. They're a rackety bunch, joking and chatting until they're all settled in their long, canoe-like dragon boats*. Each boat holds 22 women, and as the women move their paddles in unison, the boats glide smoothly down river across the glassy water.
The women are all breast cancer survivors in Ottawa - my sister Mary among them - all members of one of the first breast cancer dragon boat teams in Canada. Last weekend, 2,000 women from all over the world participated in Australia Abreast, an international breast cancer regatta in Queensland where women from around the world competed against one another.
The fact that so many women can assemble for the event is confirmation of how common breast cancer is nowadays. The first breast cancer dragon boat team was put together by sports medicine doctor Don McKenzie in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1996.
He set out to test the myth that repetitive upper-body exercise in women treated for breast cancer increases the risk of lymphoedema, a painful swelling of the arm that can occur after breast cancer treatment. He believed that by following a special exercise and training programme, women could avoid lymphoedema and lead full active lives.
His theory was proven correct: no new cases of lymphoedema occurred in the 25 women in that first team and none of the existing cases became worse. The benefits were social, psychological and emotional as well as physical - and the women demanded he continue the team.
From a medical study involving one boat of 25 women in 1996, the organisation grew and inspired many other teams to form, across Canada, the US, Australia and some European countries, including the UK, where there is a team in Liverpool. Eve Pearson, a keen dragon boater before and after she got breast cancer 14 years ago, launched a team, Pool of Life, in Liverpool in 2004.
Breast cancer dragon boating is a brilliantly simple idea which offers fun, fitness and friendly support to people who have, or are recovering from breast cancer - and it welcomes all comers (obviously, once they have medical approval). The Ottawa bunch, for example, are mostly women (and one man) in their 40s, 50s, 60s, even a few in their 70s, of all shapes, sizes, fitness levels and skill, or lack of it.
No matter: even though the teams compete - with regular dragon boaters as well as with other breast cancer teams - the emphasis is on activity and support.
My sister denies that she's stuck with dragon boating because she enjoys the after-training sessions so much: but where else could she meet a diverse bunch of women who can swap gossip about their lives, their health, tell tasteless cancer jokes and get mutual support.
"It's not that we don't hate this damned disease, or feel discouraged when yet another woman joins our numbers," she says. "We just find that sharing a positive activity with our peers beats talk therapy, and our friendships extend far beyond the boat."
She attributes her physical, psychological and emotional health 14 years after getting breast cancer largely to involvement in the sport; the team was there when she discovered that 12 years on, the cancer had mestastasized to her lungs.
It was still there when she had to cancel her trip to last weekend's regatta in Australia a few days before her flight after discovering the cancer had moved again, this time to the hip.
Bad stuff like this happens to a lot of cancer patients, we know, but she's better able to deal with it because she's physically strong. She's still paddling and walking with her pals and has no doubt that they will sustain her through the next few worrying, stressful, tedious months of further treatment.
One more thing: the main aim of the dragon boaters, with their bright pink outfits, rude humour (the Brisbane, Australia team is called 'Missabitattiti') and regular participation in regattas is to do a fantastic job of raising breast cancer awareness.
October is breast cancer awareness month internationally - so a good time to suggest that Irish breast cancer survivors might be interested in dragon boating too.
* The ancient Chinese sport of dragon boating - in which a team of about 20 people paddle a long narrow boat - has become one of the fastest growing team water sports in the past few decades, with people in 60 countries participating in the sport.
For more information about breast cancer dragon boat teams:
Eve Pearson, Pool of Life, Liverpool:
0044-7921763048 (mobile)
0044-1512220210(home
andy_and_eve@hotmail.com
www.dragonsabreast.com.au
The Irish Cancer Society's information roadshow is travelling to cities and towns around Ireland. Freefone 1800 309040 or e-mail ABC@irishcancer.ie