W.O.W.!!!

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Added: Tue. Sep 15, 2009 12:21am
Posted in: Dragon Boat Racing

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I've been bitten by the dragon.  I ride the dragon. I find strength in my relationship with the dragon.

Conquering cancer was a milestone in my life, but then I struggled with how to make sense of that chapter.  I was fine until one year after I was declared cancer free.  And then I sort of fell apart. 

Luckily I have a wonderful support group, and eventually I figured out that I was like a soldier, home from the war.  I'd spent so long fighting, and when the battle was over I didn't know how to return to daily life.  My job, for nearly 3 years, had been to go to medical appointments and follow the doctors' orders. We were a team, my doctors and I, and we had a goal.  But when that was over, I had to find another way of channeling my energy. 

With the help of my cancer team, I discovered that my talents were needed, helping other survivors regain their strength, functional ability, and confidence.  As a personal trainer who had worked-out during her cancer treatment, I understood the challenges and benefits of pushing yourself through illness.  And on the other side of cancer, I found that I actually did have it in me to face the monster again and again, on behalf of those who had just emerged and were looking for a way to continue the fight.

So I studied and collaborated and wrote, and eventually I launched an exercise program that addressed the special needs of breast cancer survivors.   That kept me going for a while.  And then I heard about Dragon Boat racing.

They say once you get in the boat you will be bitten by the Dragon, and I was.  Mary Mahoney was with me on my maiden voyage.  She presented me with a gift I will forever treasure: an Angela Moore Pink Dragon bracelet. It's beautiful, of course, and I get complements every time I wear it.  But it really does represent the experience, the idea, and the spirit of Pink Dragon Boat racing. 

I found such strength in working out during treatment. Dragon Boat racing takes that experience to the next level.  Members of a Pink Dragon Boat team have every excuse not to exercise - and yet they drag themselves to practice in the wee hours of the morning, and to locations that are hours away from home, so they can prove that they are mightier than the "c" word.  We who are Pink Dragon Boat paddlers have faced our expiration dates, but we took that experience and turned it into courage, determination, and strength.  Facing and defeating cancer is not easy, but neither is Dragon Boating.

And so, the Dragon helps me continue the fight.  I fight for funding so breast cancer will become a thing of the past.  I fight for survivor sisters who are triumphant, and for those who are still in the thick of the battle, by showing that there is life after cancer.  I fight to bring attention to the need for early detection.

For me, this is the year of the Dragon. And next year will be the year of the Dragon, and the year after that and the year after that . . . And the Dragon will help me ensure that none of the years will ever be the year of the "c" word.