The Chinese dragon boat tradition is one in which all team members work together, each pair of paddlers representing part of the dragon’s body – the head, the heart, the muscles – paddling in synchrony and perfect balance to make progress. That is what the Empire Dragon Boat team of women’s cancer survivors do – work together, rely on each other, support each other, share the ups an downs of living with cancer, and recognize from hard experience that exercise is crucial our physical and emotional balance.

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer and told I needed a mastectomy, I sought out someone who could tell me how to maintain an active exercise program before my surgery and treatments. You see, I know that I don’t feel my best to fight a battle like cancer both physically and emotionally without being active. I found that specialized exercise help at Bendheim Integrative Medicine. I manager all my treatments, resulting conditions, and life better because of it.

I lost pretty much all the lymph nodes in my right arm to cancer, so that arm swells with lymphedema and puts me at risk of being unable to fend off an infection there. For over two years, I tried various ways to lessen the swelling, so I wondered how the dragon boat racing would be for me – make my arm swell more? Be too strenuous? Increase my risk of infection?

The opposite has been true! Paddling as part of the dragon boat team has made my lymphedema better – the swelling reduces the more I paddle! In addition to emotional support and new friends, I’m managing my lymphedema and life after cancer treatment even better.

Like a dragon, we dragon boat team members are fierce warriors who know that part of a warrior’s balance for winning in life is to exercise our bodies as well as our spirits. And I hope we send a message to other women with cancer – cancer can be managed within a rich and healthy life. That’s a race all women can win.

Our first fundraiser was held at Kenny’s Castaway’s on Tuesday, May 19th. (Thanks Maria Kenny!)

Our friends and family toasted our new endeavor while listening to the music of The Bad Spells! A good night was had by all.

A big thank you to the personal trainers and staff at the Bendheim Inegrative Medicine Center/MSKCC, Coach James Ma, Asst. Coach James Lozada, Lymphedema Specialist Lily Zhang and our attorneys at Hughes Hubbard & Reed.