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One Pink Pamphlet

Submitted by Anna WintersIt was 2018 and I was sitting waiting for my new lymphedema sleeve to be fitted. I had been recovering from chemotherapy, a mastectomy, followed by radiation and then Diep Flap Reconstruction. At this time, I could barely lift my arm and due to complications from reconstructive surgery I was sort of a mess. I do believe I still had drains in when I sat down and noticed the pink pamphlet on the side table.In bold letters it said “CVI A BREAST OF LIFE DRAGONBOAT TEAM REC...

On the Water

By Katherine PeckaOn the WaterOn the dock, there are no sick people.Only paddlers.There are no weak sisters.Only athletes.On the dock, disease is left behind.Waving goodbye as the boat pulls away,Losing its hold meter by meter.In the boat, there is no pain.Only determination.There is no pity.Only encouragement.Bald heads covered with kerchiefs and caps.Scars covered by spandex and bravado,Fear banished by strength.In our hearts, there is no question.Only commitment.There is no looking back.Only ...

DA Melbourne Pink Phoenix

We were thrilled to initiate and conduct Australia’s first-ever Breast Cancer Network Australia PLAY4BCNA Dragons Abreast Pink Sports Day fundraiser on Sat. Sep. 23, 2023. https://pinksportsday.bcna.org.auOur sister clubs DA Gippsland, DA Geelong and DA Bendigo also joined us that weekend to raise funds to support the work of the fantastic BCNA, Australia’s leading breast cancer consumer organisation, working tirelessly to ensure that all Australians who are affected by breast cancer receive...

Tashlich Ceremony

Submitted by Matilde YahniRosas del PlataBuenos Aires, ArgentinaThe Nordelta Synagogue, Judaica Norte invited the Rosas del Plata team to participate in the Tashlich ceremony. This was a very special and significant gesture for our team of paddlers of life.This ceremony is a unique opportunity to connect spiritually, reflect on the year that has passed, and renew your spirit for the new year.The Tashlich ceremony is a beautiful ritual that symbolizes leaving behind the bad moments of the past an...

Colombia 5th Anniversary

The Breast Cancer Survivors Dragon Boat Colombia Foundation celebrated its 5th anniversary on October 7th, 2023, under its motto: "Paddling for life, together, in the same direction" (¨Remando juntos por la vida, en la misma direccion¨).This event celebrated the lives of the women who, over the past five years, have preserved and advanced the legacy of its founder and eternal captain, the late Catalina Palacio Livingston. It was also a tribute to her memory and to her bold vision: to make a ho...

Two and Twenty in a Boat

The North Bay, Ontario Warriors of Hope Breast Cancer Survivors Dragon Boat Racing Team are thinking, dreaming about attending the IBCPC event in France in 2026. It was great to talk to Louise Granahan, the new Communications Director for the IBCPC, at the Christie Lake festival (apologies if our pink tutus were a little distracting – especially Bill’s) about the next International.Immediately some of the team began doing the math – how old would we be in three years, when does our passpor...

Brasil Remama

Submitted by Ivanir FerreiraJournalist and volunteer for the Remama Program(English translation follows below)Outubro Rosa brasileiro: evento comemorou 10 anos de atividade e apresentou pesquisas inéditas sobre a importância do exercício físico durante e após o tratamento do câncer de mama.Em outubro, o Programa Remama -SP/Brasil comemorou em alto estilo seus dez anos de atividade, de promoção à vida, conscientização, prevenção e diagnóstico precoce do câncer de mama. Nos dias 06 ...

Ireland News

The Irish dragon boat community was delighted to welcome its newest club, Ballina Dragon Boat Club: Meitheal Abhainn (River Community) was established on May 8th, 2023. Denise Swanick formed a Meitheal to set up the club in a way that is accessible to all. The people of Ballina showed friendship, kindness and generosity in helping to make her vision a reality.We are a novice crew but we are determined to accept and enjoy the challenges and learn the skills of paddling, helming and reading the ...

From the Desk of the President

Meri Gibson, IBCPC Global President.As I write this letter the winter is coming to an end in the southern hemisphere and the summer is coming to an end in the northern hemisphere as we both head towards either spring or fall. The weather has been crazy wherever you are, extreme heat and extreme cold. Let’s hope it is more settled as we roll on into our respective seasons.I have just returned from the IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Pattaya, Thailand what a fantastic adventure th...

From Melissa Adams

From Melissa Adams, Coach: Phoenix Desert Dragons, Arizona, USA.For the first time in history, the 16th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Thailand included the Para dragon’s division. Para dragons include athletes with some form of physical, psychological, neurological, sensory, developmental, or intellectual impairment. Teams represented in this division were from Canada, India, Philippines, and the United States. To say that it was humbling would be an understatement, I was trul...

What Surviving Cancer Taught Me

Dr Liz O’Riordan: "I’m a breast cancer surgeon – this is what surviving cancer myself taught me" Daily Telegraph UKBy Rosamund DeanAs a breast surgeon, Dr Liz O’Riordan is well acquainted with worst-case scenarios. So, when she discovered a lump on her breast in 2010, her initial reaction was terror. “I remember howling on the sofa: ‘I’ll be dead in a year,’” she says. “I thought it was the end of the world.” To her relief, the lump was a benign cyst. In 2014, she noticed a...

What it is to be a Breast Cancer Dragon Boater

AnonPicture this: You're at a Dragon Boat competition, sizing up your opponents, and silently predicting your chances of victory. But during this intense atmosphere, there's a team that might catch you off guard. They're a group of women, ranging in age from 35 to 80, all pretty and dressed in a lot of pink, but not to be underestimated. Who are they? Well, they're the breast cancer dragon boat teams, and they're here to prove that they're forces to be reckoned with.At first glance, you might mi...

Anastasia Walsh’s Story

Written by Emma Russell, Multimedia Journalist, New Zealand Herald.Anastasia Walsh never expected to be looking death in the eye at age 23.Yet, three months after giving birth to her giggly daughter Esmae, the Martinborough mum was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer."We have been in and out of hospital more times than I care to remember. But I will not let it take life away from me," Walsh told the Herald on Sunday.Now 24, she shared her story as part of October's Breast Cancer Awareness Mon...

News from the WonderBroads

The WonderBroads of Windsor and Essex County celebrated their 20-year anniversary with a party on July 8th.All team members, supporters and contributors to the team were invited to join in the festivities.We had our dragon boat at the site and started by having some of our new members and our Coach dot the eyes of the dragon.Our Assistant Coach and a founding member, Peggy Hurley, along with a few other founding members spoke about our early beginnings and our 20-year journey as a team.We rememb...

Waves of Hope

Waves Of Hope had an official ribbon cutting for our sign at Minnedosa Lake in Minnedosa, Manitoba where we practice.We are sure we have the biggest pink sign around. SSome gals travel 2 hours to practice.We hope this will catch everyone’s eye and aid in our recruitment efforts!!!...

KC Pink Warriors

KC Pink Warriors brought home the medal in the BCS Cup and was competitive in the Women’s division during the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival!This marks a significant milestone for our team as it was our very first international festival. The city of Vancouver was gorgeous and the thrill of competing in Olympic Village against top-notch teams from around the world has left and indelible mark on our souls.The adventure didn’t stop on the race course, when we weren’t competing we made t...

Angels Abreast

The Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival 2023 celebrated its 20th anniversary of the festival where the Angels Abreast team was integral in the beginning of the Nanaimo Festival.We hosted a Friday night dinner for all the Survivor teams with food, music, and dancing! One special event at the dinner is to celebrate first year survivors and every year after, circling around the years of survival with many tears and feeling of sisterhood.The Survivor Challenge took place on Saturday where all survivors rac...

News from Chemo Savvy, Canada

We had our first local Dragon Boat Festival of the season!We entered three boats of paddlers!We had an amazing presence at this festival!...

Italian Dragon Sisters

What a wonderful team spirt!by Lucia De Ranieri, IBCPC Vice PresidentItalian Dragon Sisters is a newbie member of IBCPC. I cannot imagine a more beautiful name for this composite team that joins together Italian paddlers from BC teams from the whole of Italy and that fully expresses the sisterhood and camaraderie between breast cancer paddlers.This team was born a few months ago with the intention of giving the opportunity to any BC paddler to independently join this team to compete in dragon bo...

News from Germany

Drachenbootfestival Hannover brings PINK DRAGONS together.The team Pink Fusion started as a racing community of pink teams from the Western area of Germany, that is Koblenz, Limburg, Heilbronn, and Aschaffenburg.When we started the first race of the competition on Saturday, the team came together in a boat for the first time. Nobody knew how the team would synchronize.Then the start sign was given, and the team had a good first race, being in second position already. It was wonderful to see how ...

Updates from Latin and South America

Rosas Del PlataCELEBRATION IN PINKby Matilde Yahni, IBCPC National Representative to ArgentinaThe members of Rosa Del Plata don’t need an excuse to party. Our Argentine team of 55 paddlers love delicious food, good music, dancing, and any reason to bring the team together. A group of ladies on our team volunteered to form our “birthday celebration committee”, and they work hard to surprise our 55 BCS pink paddlers at every event with special guests and treats. They invite musicians: jazz s...

Updates from Europe

Go Europe Pink Dragons 1st edition or: Teamwork to make a (COVID) dream come true.Let´s go back in time… Don´t we all remember the year 2020 when many countries didn't allow meeting in person due to the pandemic? When people were restricted to staying at home? These times of lockdown were the beginning of a dream, and this dream has become reality 3 years later with a composite team of pink paddlers united from various European teams supported by some pink friends from Israel and the US.When...

News from Ireland

Regatta PreparationsCork Dragons are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year and holding a Rebel Regatta on Saturday 2nd September in the city. It promises to be a fabulous day of fun and competition and friendships made and renewed.Plurabelle Paddlers are in the final stages of preparation for the forthcoming EDBF Ravenna competitions in September and have entered 2 teams in the competition. They will be joined by Carlow Dragons in representing Ireland at the competition.Remembering Julie ...

DIA DEL NIÑO (Children’s Day)

Submitted by: Marta Lapaz, Rosas del PlataTigre , Buenos Aires , ArgentinaEvery year in the winter holidays, that is July for Argentina, we take boys and girls between 5 and 12 years old from the area where we paddle, for a ride in our dragon boat.They expect to see the big, majestic boat enter the bay with the Rosas girls in pink wearing crazy wigs or headbands. “Let's paddle to the beat of the drum” is the slogan.Some of the children come to the meeting in their little kayaks, then line up...

Breast Friends Dragon Boat Racing Team Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

25 years ago, in November 1998, two women from the greater Edmonton area, gathered a group of breast cancer survivors together to see if there was enough interest to form a dragon boating team. The interest expressed was significant, so from this point, a volunteer executive was formed. This executive had the formidable task of determining the best path for the team, and began working immediately to create Breast Friends Society, an Alberta charitable organization, registered in February 1999. T...