Bosom Buddies is a group of breast cancer survivors committed to support and care for each other, to paddle as a dragon boat team and to increase our self-esteem while building our physical and emotional health.
You should stand and salute as they go gliding by
And may each Bosom Buddy row to this refrain:
The Cancer I've beaten is the dragon I've slain.
-Jack DeGruchy
October 2000
Bosom Buddies is a group of women in Nova Scotia, living with breast cancer,
who have decided to go against traditional thinking and become real examples
of life after breast cancer.
Following the lead of the original Abreast in a Boat team in Vancouver, they
have formed a dragon boat team, which they hope to race in festivals
throughout Canada.
But this isn't only about paddling. Bosom Buddies is about educating people and
letting them know they can make a difference. This is a story about a
wonderfully positive response to a deadly disease.
Most companies employ large numbers of women and one in nine of those
women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. No one can ignore the statistics,
but awareness about the quality of life after treatment needs to be raised.
Bosom Buddies is trying to raise this awareness in the best possible way - by
living their message. Breast cancer can affect anyone, young or old, but
THERE IS LIFE AFTER BREAST CANCER - active, fun, powerful, upbeat,
vigorous life.
We are a 100% volunteer-based organization with a group vision to raise
breast cancer awareness so that we can eventually find a cure and help
people who are living with this disease.
Chinese Dragon Boat racing actually began 2000 years ago.
The boats, adorned with a colourful dragon head and tail, are 40 feet long and each boat carries 20 paddlers, a drummer and a steersperson.
Dr. Don McKenzie, a sports medicine physician at the University of British Columbia, launched Abreast in a Boat in 1996
to test the myth that repetitive upper body exercise in women treated for breast cancer encourages lymphedema.
He believed that following a special exercise and training program would not increase the risk, but would actually
improve quality of life.
Dr. McKenzie's theory proved correct. Since 1996, hundreds of breast cancer survivors across Canada have formed dragon
boat teams, and are paddlingand racing regularly, promoting good health and fun.