We Will Survive

Cancer survivors from across Lancashire are finding strength and support in a dragon boat

- Mike Glover

When Sara Last was diagnosed with breast cancer, aged 44, she was faced with more than a year of clinical procedures. And then, like many women in her predicament, the potter and freelance curator faced the equally daunting aftermath, with flagging confidence, worry about the disease returning and even isolation.

But like an increasing number of cancer survivors, Sara, of Gatebeck, near Kendal, swears by the emotional and physical restorative properties of dragon boat paddling.

It was introduced to this country by Eve Elliot-Pearson, a former nurse in Liverpool and, fittingly for slow boats, is making slow but steady progress across the UK and Ireland. The benefits are so remarkable that the medical profession is coming round to believe it may be used routinely to help women recover from what was once considered a deadly disease.

Sara says: ‘After a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy I was discharged by the oncologist in November 2018 and left floundering. Having to go to hospital at least once a week for a year becomes the norm, and then nothing. I felt abandoned... and then I met the Paddlers.

‘I had picked up a leaflet from the Breast Care Unit at Lancaster Royal Infirmary, so I decided to go see what it was all about.

‘Some of the women come every weekend from across Lancashire, so I was lucky it was close to me. What a bunch of women. They are so welcoming and understanding. They don’t talk about cancer, they don’t need to. They know what you have been through.

‘But if you want to talk about it, ask advice regarding future worries, medication, reoccurrence they then will. They are all in the same boat, literally and metaphorically. By joining the Paddlers for Life I have found a group of women who support each other not only on a Sunday when they meet to paddle, but throughout the week.