Breast cancer survivors' dragon boating

Research

Donald Chisholm ("Don") McKenzie is a Canadian sports medicine specialist at the University of British Columbia, professor in the School of Kinesiology and Director of the Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre. In a 1998 paper in the Canadian Medical Association Journal McKenzie described how in February 1996 he started a dragon boat team for women with a history of breast cancer, which the women chose to name Abreast in a Boat. He believed that this activity would benefit breast cancer survivors as it provided strenuous upper body activity in an aesthetically pleasing and socially supportive environment.

His paper concludes:

How important is the Abreast in a Boat project? It is an approach to promoting health and raising breast cancer awareness that is driven by women with the disease. It reaches out to other women and offers them a message of hope and support. It is helping to change attitudes toward "life after breast cancer," and it encourages women to lead full and active lives. It is making a difference.

In 2001, McKenzie was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his work with Abreast In A Boat. The citation ended with the words: "His remarkable achievements, enhanced by his guidance and caring, have given breast cancer survivors across Canada a sense of confidence and pride, and a lifeline to a better existence."

Later research published by Mitchell et al. concluded that: "The interview data support the emerging hypothesis that dragon boating is a vehicle for improving women's wellness and post-treatment quality of life."

Around the world

The International Breast Cancer Paddlers' Commission (IBCPC) is an international organisation based in Canada. It describes itself as: "an international umbrella organisation whose mandate is to encourage the establishment of breast cancer dragon boat teams, within the framework of participation and inclusiveness. We support the development of recreational dragon boat paddling as a contribution to a healthy life style for those diagnosed with breast cancer." As of August 2011 it had member organisations in Australia (29 groups), Canada (41), Ireland (1), Italy (5), New Zealand (7), Singapore (1), South Africa (1), United Kingdom (7) and United States (24).

Dragon boat festivals

The ICBPC sponsors dragon boat competitions about every four years:

Australia

Dragon boat racing for breast cancer survivors was introduced to Australia by Michelle Hanton OAM originating in Darwin in 1998.

Dragons Abreast Australia head office is based in Brisbane in Queensland and is a registered charity. Dragons Abreast Australia Ltd (DAA) has grown into the peak body for breast cancer survivor paddling groups around Australia and is a member of the Australian Dragon Boat Federation and the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission. Members adopt a set of common guiding principles and adhere to the philosophy of participation and inclusiveness.

Canada

The original Abreast In A Boat team continues in Vancouver, paddling twice weekly from March to July.

New Zealand

With 8 BCS teams (Abreast of life, Boobops, Busting with life, CanSurvive, Pink dragons, Simply the breast, Taranaki Dragons, Waikato Treasure chests) New Zealand probably has the highest ratio of BCS teams in the world. There is no national BCS entity like in Canada or Australia. However, there is a BCS division at the National Championships and NZDBA has a board member with responsibility for Breast Cancer and Special Interests.

United Kingdom

Dragon boat racing for breast cancer survivors was introduced to the UK by Eve Elliott Pearson in Liverpool.

Pool of Life was the first UK dragon boat team for breast cancer survivors, founded in 2004 with the help of Liverpool's Amathus Dragon Boat Club. It is based in Liverpool and a registered charity.

The Paddlers for Life group is based on Windermere in the Lake District and is a registered charity. A group of members took part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on June 2012 in their boat Artemis Diana.

Paddlers for Life Scotland South West was formed in March 2010 and is based on Loch Ken, Dumfries and Galloway.It is a registered charity.

Port Edgar Dragons from Port Edgar, South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, bought their first boat in 2011 and are a registered charity.

The Wigan Water Dragons are based in Wigan and train on Scotsman's Flash. They launched their first full-sized boat in June 2011.

Pink Champagne are a team based in Bournemouth, Dorset, who train on the River Stour. Fiona Castle, widow of entertainer Roy Castle, is their patron.

The Worcester Busters part of Worcester Dragon boat Racing Club train on the River Severn in Worcester, and took part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

Wave Walkers train at Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre, Docklands, London, and Longridge Activity Centre, near Marlow. From small beginnings in 2012, the team now has a strong core and took part in Vogalonga, an annual non-motorized boat event, in Venice in 2014 and 2015.

United States

Wellness Warriors, an all-cancer survivors (ACS) team in Boston, Massachusetts.

Pink Phoenix, of Portland, Oregon, launched in January 1997.

Annapolis Dragon Boat Club in Annapolis, Maryland, formed in 2011, competes in several dragon boat races, including the 2014 ICBPC Festival in Sarasota, Florida.

Dragon Boat Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 2004, took first place in the 2007 Peachtree City festival, and competed in the 2014 ICBPC Festival in Sarasota, Florida.

Pink Steel, a breast cancer survivor team within the Steel City Dragons organization in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, won the 2010 U.S. Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew Nationals for the BCS division

Pink Dragons, a breast cancer survivor team in Long Beach, California

Live Love Survive, a co-ed cancer survivor team in Foster City, California