For 20 years Pictou County women have been paddling the East River in solidarity and in hope.
The faces change and the personal stories cover the gamut of breast cancer diagnoses but the solidarity and hope are as constant as the flow of the river to the sea.
These women know the terror of diagnosis, the challenges of treatment and the fear of recurrence but they hold their paddles high to celebrate 20 years of having a dragon boat on the water. They are represented by the pink flower baskets, pink bicycles and pink pianos around New Glasgow. They will paddle next weekend in the 18th annual Race on the River to raise money for the cancer care of the people of Pictou County. The festival is held in conjunction with Pictou County Prostate Cancer Support Association and Pictou County Special Olympics.
Twenty years ago Pictou County acquired the first dragon boat east of Montreal. Getting a boat was an inspired idea and it arrived before the money to pay for it was raised. Since then, hundreds of thousands have been generated to help local people battling cancer. Organizers expect this year’s event to exceed $100,000.
Faye Visser-Booth, Jessie Parkinson, Cindy Skinner and Darlene Benoit are part of the Abreast a River team which has already collected more than $10,000 in pledges. They had never met prior to being diagnosed with cancer but they interrupt, challenge and kid each other like longtime friends. Theirs is a bond forged at May-to-October practices, road trips and shared hotel rooms as well as in competition, in as far away places as Italy where they joined 5,000 women to race on the Arno River in Florence a year ago.
Visser-Booth, who had already shepherded a son through a childhood cancer, was diagnosed while her youngest child was on a school trip to Europe.
“She called from Europe to ask if I had the results and I lied and told her I didn’t.”
Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and reconstruction followed.
“I came to dragon boat because it was time to do something for myself, for my health.”
Jessie Parkinson was first diagnosed in Vancouver almost 25 years ago.
“I remember my mother crying, saying it should have been her, not me.”
She had a lumpectomy and radiation. Diagnosed a second time in 2010, she again had a lumpectomy and radiation, this time on her other breast.
“I'm the least athletic person alive but when I retired and saw the women on the boat on the East River I knew I wanted a piece of what they were all about.”
Darlene Benoit, who captains the team, had a mastectomy eight years ago and needed no further treatment.
“My process was so straightforward I often feel guilty when I hear what other women have been through.”
She was recovering when a dragon boat paddler invited her down to the river.
“I’m terrified of water so I had no plan to join but I went just to see the other women. They were so welcoming and I thought, maybe I had something to offer. I’m still here.”
Cindy Skinner’s diagnosis resulted in what she calls the full meal deal.
“I told the doctors I had things I had to do, including seeing my sons graduate, so I wanted no stone left unturned. I had surgery, chemo, radiation, medication, everything.”
She needed no introduction to dragon boat racing as her mother was already involved.
“My mom is a survivor so as soon as I was cleared, I jumped right into the boat, the youngest of the women at the time. Study after study has shown that exercise can be a big factor in preventing recurrence so I am encouraged by that.”
These women can point to advances in diagnosis and care at Aberdeen Hospital that relate directly to Race on the River.
“Our dragon boat team is a committee of the Women Alike Support Society which donated $100,000 for our newest mammography machine and the prostate support group contributed about the same amount for new ultrasound equipment,” said Parkinson.
She added the society contributes toward the cost of bras, wigs, compression vests and prostheses. The society also donated $50,000 to outfit a room at the Canadian Cancer Society’s Lodge that Gives in Halifax.
“One third of the people who stay at the lodge are from Pictou County. Accommodations are free for cancer patients and available at a reduced rate for families,” said Parkinson.
Some of the proceeds from the race are needed for the upkeep of the boat and dock space, Skinner pointed out.
“Practice and competition is really important to us but we are not talking breast cancer 24/7. The support aspect of the group is where the friendships come from. We’re here to share a hug and a story or just to share the silence. The shared experience of travel is unlike anything else,” said Skinner.
Last year only half the team, with each member paying her own expenses, was able to go to Italy so they joined forces with a group from Saint John, N.B., to make a Maritime Canada team. They all came back committed to taking a full team to their next international event.
“It was such an incredible, empowering experience, we want the whole team to share it so we have to find a way,” said Visser-Booth.
The theme of this year’s dragon boat celebrations is meant to convey the joy that comes from women supporting women, according to Visser-Booth.
“We may have times when we cry but we have a lot more days that are full of fun. We’re going with a Fairies and Butterflies theme because it conveys the magic of working together and the friendship that is so much part of dragon boat and Women Alike.”
For Benoit – who has not lost her fear of the water – it is a case of the satisfaction outweighing the fear.
“I’m busy keeping people informed and with equipment duties, including making sure the boat is dressed, head, tail and drum. I work with the coaches to determine who sits where and all those little details that have to go smoothly at every event. The water, well, I just have to deal with it.”
She joked that if the boat ever gets into trouble, she has no plans to go down with it like a good captain.
“Seriously, though, I could not have imagined it eight years ago but having breast cancer has brought me blessings. I’d hate to have missed this team and these women.”
In the meantime, the team knows its fundraising is vital.
“Wait times are my biggest frustration. Women need results faster,” said Skinner.
Remembering the side effects of medications many women take for five years after preliminary treatment still makes Visser-Booth shiver.
“Five years of feeling every day like you have the flu. What woman should have to handle that? We need better medications.”
And so they paddle. Hard.
Rosalie MacEachern is a Stellarton resident and freelance writer. She seeks out people who work behind the scenes on hobbies or jobs they love the most. If you know someone you think she should profile in an upcoming article, she can be reached at [email protected]