'We care for one another': Breast cancer survivors find camaraderie and wellness through dragon boat paddling

ALONG the River Shannon, breast cancer survivors have found camaraderie and fitness as they paddle out on a dragon boat.

On the water, Aileen Murphy and Amanda Jordan have found a “safe space” with the Limerick Dragons - one where breast cancer does not define them.

A 2,000-year-old ancient Chinese water sport, dragon boat racing was trialled as a treatment for breast cancer survivors by Dr Don McKenzie in 1996.

After introducing 24 breast cancer volunteers to dragon boats and paddling techniques, McKenzie found that the movement required for paddling prevents the risk of lymphedema.

In Limerick, dozens of survivors come together in paddle dragon boats to improve their wellness and raise awareness.

One of the members, Aileen Murphy was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2019, after finding a lump on her right breast.

“It felt different. I was actually working on BreastCheck at the time, so I spoke to one of my colleagues. She brought me down for an ultrasound and straight away, she could see that it was cancerous. I got really upset, it was only her and me there. I hadn’t brought anyone with me, I didn’t think there was a need to have anyone,” Aileen recalls.

After a triple assessment, she was told she had invasive ductal carcinoma grade 3, an aggressive type of breast cancer.

“For the next appointment, I brought my parents with me,” Aileen says. “I was told I had to have surgery to remove it. They took the lump out, a big area in my breast and all my lymph nodes. I had 16 chemo sessions with four AC and 12 taxols, then I had 24 sessions of radiotherapy.”

After that, Aileen was on a chemo drug for three years.

“I go in once a month to have an injection to suppress my ovaries and then I take a hormone inhibitor every day, it’s just to increase my chances of my cancer not coming back.”

Aileen joined the Limerick Dragons in 2020. Among other survivors, she has found a safe place where she can be herself.

“It helps you if you've had your lymph nodes removed, you're at risk of lymphedema. So this exercise helps with the whole issue. That's why I said I'd go for that. Plus, I just love the water, it’s a happy place for me,” Aileen says.

After treatment, she experienced a lot of pain in her joints. On the dragon boat, Aileen feels the same as everyone else.

“If I'm getting in and out of the boat, it's a little bit awkward, my body might not work the way you want it to work. If I was to go to a class where people weren't affected by any illnesses, I'd stand out a little bit. Whereas when I'm on the boat, I'm the same as everyone else. There's a camaraderie, we care for one another. I don't feel awkward, I can just be myself.”

According to Aileen, all her worries go away when she is out on the water.

“You’re having a laugh, having a chat, seeing the city from a different perspective. It’s great for your headspace. It's very hard to describe it, but you could go out there with all the worries in the world on your shoulders and when you're out in the water you forget about them. You'd be tired, but mentally you're refreshed,” she says.

Despite what she has been through, Aileen remains positive - and counts herself as “extremely lucky”.

“I just look at it as something that I have to get on with. I'm extremely lucky, I have this chance at life that not everybody is granted. It gives you a new appreciation for life and it all makes sense.”

Amanda Jordan was diagnosed with breast cancer on September 1, 2021.

“There had been no history of breast cancer in my family. I was getting a bit of a pain in my left boob and I was like ‘What is that?’ I checked and I could feel something. I kind of ignored it for three weeks and then, it was playing on my mind, so I went to the doctor.

“When they confirmed the diagnosis, it wasn't too much of a shock, but the day I was there for the mammogram was very shocking.

“Once I had the diagnosis, it was really a whirlwind,” Amanda says.

She had a mastectomy on September 29, 2021. Then, she had to go back for a second operation.

“It was on November 9, which was my birthday. The nurses immediately wished me a happy birthday,” Amanda recalls.

After starting chemotherapy in January 2022, she had radiation. Now, she’s on hormone tablets.

“Hopefully that's everything taken out and sorted,” she says. “The whole breast cancer thing is a bit of a shock to the system. You get into fight or flight mode. You don't want people around you being upset and stuff, it's manageable, but it is quite scary.”

Amanda felt the dragons would know what she had been through. Now, she is one of 39 members.

“I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone, I wanted to put a bit more life into my years and I wanted to meet people who had an understanding of what I'd been through,” she explains.

She says that while out on the water with her fellow dragons, she has learned a valuable lesson.

“I've learned that everybody is going through something. A lot of people have been affected by breast cancer, whether they themselves have had it or known of somebody who had it. I’ve learned that it’s only a part of us, it doesn’t define us,” she says.

On April 13 at noon, the Limerick Dragons will meet future members at the shipyard at O’Callaghan Strand. On April 20, they will be organising a flower ceremony, to remember anybody who has passed due to breast cancer.