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Carol & Michele

Michele and Carol    Dragon Boating Brisbane River ‘Putting ourselves first' Apart from turning our whole lives upside down, cancer has been a blessing in many ways. Well, without it, we would have never met and forged this truly amazing friendship! Of course the journey wasn't easy. We are both very lucky to have our husbands, children and friends who supported us during and after treatments. Now this is in the past, we have learnt from the experience and moved on. Life is never the same, nor should it be! Cancer happens for a reason and it was time to implement some changes into our lives. First, we stopped feeling guilty. Second, we stopped trying to fix the world and everyone in it. Third (and most important) we started to put ourselves first occasionally. We became involved with dragon boating in October 2006. The breast cancer survivor dragon boat movement was pioneered in Canada through a doctor who recognised that many women were finding themselves in a hole after their medical treatments were over. He wanted to give women an option to do something physical instead of warning them of what NOT to do. One of the most positive ‘side effects' was the reduction in lymphoedema after the removal of lymph nodes. Little did we know that we would be totally hooked. It's amazing how the mind and body respond to training. Our muscles were shaping up, energy levels increased, and finding the time for training suddenly didn't present a challenge anymore. In December we took part in our first regatta. After that, nothing could stop us. Since our ‘virgin' regatta we have attended two more and even found the courage to train with the sports team because we love it so much. Our pink team in the Sunshine Coast is called ‘TittyTittyBangBang' and our members range in age from 40 to women in their seventies. We train twice a week and have a ball. The teamwork, the physical fitness training as well as the social aspect are elements that make dragon boating so dynamic. Each of us has her own different story to tell, yet our stories are all so similar. This brings about compassion for each other and support when it's most needed, which has led to great camaraderie on the boat. Each of us has an understanding of the road that has been travelled. The key elements are ‘having fun' and ‘raising awareness' about breast cancer. As we all know, breast cancer does not discriminate on the basis of age or race. And there is most certainly quality of life after breast cancer. Funny enough, this is the time a lot of women realise their own potential to live and enjoy their life more fully. To find a club near you, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . The Sunshine Coast is the host of an international event, ABREAST IN AUSTRALIA 2007, 28-30 September 2007. Organisers are expecting 2000 breast cancer survivors from around the world to compete. For more information http://www.dragonsabreast.com.au/. Last updated August 2007