In March 2000, I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. A series of mistakes started my journey. One mistake led to a 7-month delay in my diagnosis. Another mistake led to uncertainty regarding whether I definitively had triple-negative cancer.

My journey began when I lived in Portland, ME. I found an oncology team that inspired me to thrive. They joked, even during the 3 or 4 months that we thought my cancer might be stage IV, and I remain eager to say that my cancer was only stage III. They encouraged me to engage in adaptive resistive exercises for my arms at a gym in a nearby university. By maintaining my muscle strength, I remained confident that I could be a fighter. My radiation oncologist encouraged me to swim to keep full range of motion in my left arm, and I smiled as I successfully swam 60-100 laps of freestyle and backstroke.

My journey was one of the best times of my life. Friends and colleagues had ceremonies for me. My favorite ceremony was a surprise dinner the day I got my wig, which I wore for only 2 days. A male friend arranged the celebration. Everyone in the small restaurant wore hats or wigs, even the cook and the waitress. A retired couple, a psychiatrist and a psychiatric nurse, wore my favorite wigs. They wore a clown wig and a wig made from the snow tinsel used to decorate Christmas trees. I had many visitors during my treatments, including three 10-year-old friends from my days of living near Washington DC.

I find energy in moving. Near my 5th anniversary of being cancer free, I moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where I learned about dragon boating. I belonged to Chemo Savvy, a breast-cancer survivor team. With this team, I continued my resistive exercises in a gym during the winter, and we practiced paddling on the Red River during the spring and summer. We celebrated with any excuse for a gathering, including an annual themed pool party.

I also celebrate with tattoos. For my 10th anniversary of being cancer free, I got a tattoo of a dragon draped in a pink ribbon around my left ankle. I also have tattoos of cherry-blossoms, butterflies, and a dragonfly across my entire chest, over my right shoulder, and down my back. All of my tattoos have special meanings for me. Daily, I admire them and the fact that I’m alive, despite a rocky beginning to my journey.

Now my journey happily continues with the Empire Dragon Boat Team (women cancer survivors), and I am grateful for my new paddling friends.