During evenings this spring, you may spot a dragon boat full of pink clad women paddling along the Ladner riverfront.
Two crews of Abreast in a Boat, the world’s first dragon boat team for breast cancer survivors, have launched their 2024 season from their new home at the Ladner Yacht Club. The Deas Divas and Abreast with Hope have paddled locally on Deas Slough for more than 20 years and are looking forward to exploring a new arm of the Fraser River this year aboard their beloved boat, Hope Floats. The paddlers are a thriving group who demonstrate that life can be physically active after a cancer diagnosis.
Abreast in a Boat began in 1996 when UBC’s Dr. Don McKenzie set out to test exercise as a preventative treatment for post surgery lymphedema. After a first season in which the women benefited from the exercise as well as the rich social connections made on the water, the breast cancer survivor dragon boat movement was born. In the nearly 30 years since, six Abreast in a Boat crews have been established in the Lower Mainland and hundreds more are carrying the group’s message around the world.
Abreast with Hope paddles on Monday evenings and the Deas Divas practice on Tuesday and Thursday evenings until the end of June. These ladies will be out there rain or shine, so if you catch a glimpse of the dragon boat, give them a wave from the Ladner Wharf or a venue along the riverfront!
Both crews would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the Ladner Yacht Club for the warm welcome to their new home in Ladner.
For more information to support or join Abreast in a Boat, check out their pages on Instagram, Facebook, or at abreastinaboat.com. Paddles Up!
