Jun 26, 2008 11:07 pm US/Central
Cancer Survivors Team Up To Paddle Dragon Boats
WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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The experience, the Dragon Divas say, gives them hope, and they want their team to give other people fighting cancer hope too.
CBS
A group of women from across the Twin Cities knows all about surgery and pain. They also know what healing is like and they want to share their story to give others hope.
The group calls themselves the Dragon Divas. Their latest adventure happened Thursday night on White Bear Lake. They're determined athletes.
"What are we practicing for? So we can win," said Mary Skrypek, the group's organizer.
"You get in the boat, and you just paddle your little heart out," said Dragon Diva Ione Livingston.
Known for competing in area dragon boat races, these women are up for their next race and challenge, but doesn't compare to the one that is their common connection.
"Yeah, we are all literally in the same boat," said Skrypek.
"We all are breast cancer survivors," said Cory Graham.
The women were strangers just three years ago. They each fought against cancer separately, and they found each other through family and friends.
They formed the Dragon Divas team for themselves.
"It is a support group, it's a different kind of support group," said Skrypek. "We all probably had one of the toughest diagnosis to get as a female. And we've all survived it, all living with it, and working on our quality of life and showing ourselves and our families, everybody."
"We can move on, we can be healthy, we can have that good quality of life, though we've had that diagnosis," she said.
The experience, the women say, gives them hope, and they want their team to give other people fighting cancer hope too.
"The boat is very symbolic in terms of being the vessel that marks this voyage from illness to health," said Graham.
The women have found comfort sharing their cancer survivor stories with each other. They dwell more on the recovery and prevention of it, rather than the experience itself.
At first less than a dozen women participated, now more than 50 take part. You could call them paddlers with a purpose.
"Oh, I'm going to keep doing this forever," said Livingston.
The Dragon Divas practiced for a few hours on White Bear Lake Thursday night. They know their next adventure there will happen soon.
"I hope we have this boat around a number of seasons," said Skrypek.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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