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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...

Go Europe Pink Dragons 2nd edition

Let´s go back in time again… There was an article on the first edition of the “dream team” Go Europe Pink Dragons following the regatta in Barcelona in May – as our European composite team started as a dream of paddlers who were only able to meet online since COVID didn´t allow meeting in person to paddle. Following a warm-up in our Wednesday night Zoom meetings led by Wendy and Teresa, everyone found a broomstick or feather duster, anything usable as a paddle, and we started practicin...

19th EDBF ECCC of Ravenna

Submitted by Lucia De Ranieri, IBCPC Vice PresidentSince I was appointed as a member of the EDBF Women in Sport Commission, I have been working closely with Paola Pochesci, chairperson of this Commission, and also with EDBF President Schermi, in order to strengthen the collaboration between the IBCPC and EDBF, seeking to promote an interconnection between the two organizations, and contribute to the empowerment of women and gender equality.The 19th EDBF European Club Crew Championship in Ravenna...

From the Desk of the President

Submitted by Meri GibsonWOW, what a few months it has been since we put out our last newsletter. So much has happened that we want to bring you up to speed. You will see in this newsletter, which is now edited by Louise Granahan, our communications director, that there are over 30 articles! It’s just brilliant to see teams so engaged in wanting to be a part of this newsletter and to share their stories.For me personally there has been a lot of travelling, a lot of helping to establish breast c...

Greetings From Croatia!

Submitted by: Dubravka (Buba) Karlovic-BabicPresident DBKZ and IBCPC Croatia RepUpdate/news since our last newsletter report in September 2022:Dear IBCPC members and teams! Croatian Dragonboat Klub Zadar is thriving and has so much to tell you! So many wonderful things have happened over the past year, so I’ll try to be very specific:October 2022We participated in a dragon boat cup in the town of Prelog (Croatia) where we presented the DB sport especially as a pink team. We were interviewed by...

Pink Power Kowelenz

Submitted by Katja Stein, Pink Power KowelenzSince its establishment in October 2021 the pink team has not only grown in numbers but has also surpassed all expectations. This year has proven very successful with their attendance at three regattas, with two consecutive wins and as a runner up.As a composite team, a “pink fusion crew“, made up of the Limburger Domdrachen and the Pink Pearls from Heilbronn, managed to reach second place at the dragonboat festival in Hannover with the local team...

From the Desk of the Editor

Submitted by Louise GranahanAs your new IBCPC Communications Director, one of my responsibilities is to edit the newsletter. With your help, I have collected some articles from around the world.It was amazing for me to read about team and personal successes and growth. Thanks for all of your ideas for things to bring to a regatta. I have compiled them into a handy list.By now you have heard the news about France 2026 in Aix-les-Bains! I have included information on registration and participation...

WonderBroads

Submitted by SandiThe WonderBroads had a wonderful, successful season celebrating their 20th Anniversary this year. We kicked off the year with an anniversary banquet attended by supporters, sponsors, family and friends.We welcomed new paddlers this season and after participating in races and proudly winning 4 medals, our newbies are hooked on dragon boating!We competed strong this year and ended making a difference in fighting this disease by standing for a cure and better treatments for prolon...

Why should a BCS team join the IBCPC

What's in it for us?We get along fine with our own organization, so what's different about IBCPC?How do we join?These are all great questions, and we have some GREAT answers!Be part of an International organization whose mandate is to encourage the development of BCS teams within the framework of participation and inclusiveness.Be part of an organization with a membership of over 320 BCS team, worldwide, representing approx. 15,000 breast cancer survivors globally.Be part of an organization who ...

Fundraising Ideas

Compiled by Louise GranahanIt’s not always easy to raise money for dragon boating events, equipment, and festivals. Here is a list of 130 ideas to get you started.Fun EventsBeer PongBoard Game TournamentCalendarChess MatchCoffee-Grams or Singing Telegrams for Valentine’s DayEscape RoomHaunted HousePolar PlungePool PartyPhoto Contest (eg, guess the teammate’s baby photo contest)Sandcastle Building ContestSpeed Dating NightSpelling BeeStreet or Beach PartyTie-Dye PartyTrivia NightTwitch Vide...

Pink Paddlers Dueren, Germany

Dueren? Where is Dueren? We are based in the Western part of Germany, roughly in the area of Cologne and Aix-la-Chapelle.And we had an amazing introduction to the pink dragonboat world on Saturday, August 26, 2023 at the races in Datteln which was also the Pink Germany Cup of DKV (German Canoe Association)!But let’s start from the beginning:In the weeks of May to June, most of us joined a training session for the very first time, some of us being faced with a fairly recent breast cancer diagno...

Regatta Items

Compiled by Louise GranahanWith suggestions from IBCPC membersYou may not want or need to bring all of these items, but this list will get you started.Paddlingo Paddleo Butt pado PFDo Knee pado GlovesFood and Drinkso Watero Cerealo Blueberrieso Milko Luncho Granola/protein barso Almondso Bananaso Electrolyteso Thermos of coffee or teao Treats for teammatesComforto Tento Stadium seat/chairo Blanketo Dry bags (for my change of clothes, wallet and keys in case it rains)o Waterproof phone poucho Umb...

Pink Lionesses, Israel

Submitted by Orit Ziv-AckermanAs we are at the beginning of a new year, this is an opportunity for me to summarize the achievements of the organization "Pink Lionesses". The organization appointed two paddling groups of patients and people recovering from breast cancer and set for themselves a goal of healing body and soul.I am happy to announce that the organization gained additional and important recognition last week at the 28th Quality Conference at the medical center. This is the most signi...

Panama

Submitted by Floribeth Campos de FinizioGreetings from a beautiful country in Central America, PANAMÁ, a place with amazing landscapes, tropical beauty, and a land of the Pink Warriors PTY Team, since 2019 @pinkwarriorspanamaWe are celebrating Cancer Awareness Prevention Month. As you know, October is one of the most important months in the year, since it represents an opportunity to help other people raise awareness about prevention and early detection. With our testimonies, we work to sha...

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 ...

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...

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...

France 2026

Registration InformationLac du BourgetAix-les-BainsAugust 24-30, 2026Website: http://www.ibcpcfrance2026.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ibcpcfrance2026Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ibcpcfrance2026Who can participate?This event is only open to Breast Cancer Survivors. Prior to the event, you will require a form from your doctor stating that you have had breast cancer. Previvors, eg. those with genetic predisposition to breast cancer but who have not had breast cancer...

Road to Recovery

Submitted by Marina HaddockAt the end of June 2022, I was sitting in the waiting room wearing a hospital gown preparing to go back for radiation. It was my last week of treatment and the waiting spurred me to think about what would come next. I would be returning to work and my old routine in a few days and wasn’t sure I had really ‘learned’ what so many survivors say they had from this experience.When I got home, I started searching the internet to find breast cancer survivor groups in th...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...