Breast Cancer Survivors From Quintana Roo to Compete at Dragon Boat Festival in Brazil

Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo — Eleven breast cancer survivors who took up paddling to rebuild their fitness and strengthen their support networks will represent Quintana Roo at the first Pink Paddlers Festival of Brazil, to be held November 5-8 in the city of Natal.

The competitors are members of Samchak Kukulcán, better known as Dragón Rosa, a team backed by Fundación Creer in partnership with the Dragon Boat Club of Puerto Aventuras, where the women have trained to race against crews from other countries.

The Quintana Roo delegation is in the final stage of preparations and recently received the uniforms it will wear at the international event, sponsored by Fundación FARO. Money for the trip was raised through raffles, bazaars, donations and other activities organized over the course of the year.

The festival will take place on the waters of the Potengi River in Natal and will bring together teams made up of women who have faced breast cancer. Beyond the races, the gathering aims to promote physical activity and mutual support among survivors.

A boat designed for rhythm and teamwork

Unlike conventional canoeing, the dragon boat is a long vessel of Chinese origin propelled by a crew paddling in synchronized strokes to the beat of a drum. The sport demands coordination, muscular endurance and collective effort — qualities that have helped it take root in athletic programs for cancer survivors.

Researchers began studying the link between the discipline and recovery after cancer treatment in Canada in the 1990s, when Dr. Donald McKenzie of the University of British Columbia helped launch Abreast In A Boat, considered the first dragon boat team made up of breast cancer survivors.

In 1996, a group of 24 women took part in a project that set out to challenge medical advice warning against repetitive arm exertion after treatment, for fear of triggering lymphedema, a complication marked by fluid buildup and swelling of the tissue.

Early results showed that progressive training could be done without producing new cases of lymphedema among the participants studied, opening the door to further research on the benefits of supervised exercise after cancer.

Since then the dragon boat has spread to other countries as an activity that combines physical rehabilitation, companionship and competitive sport, though organizers stress that it does not replace medical follow-up or the treatments prescribed for each patient.

McKenzie himself is expected to attend the Brazilian festival, where he will meet crews that are part of the international movement that grew out of the Canadian experiment.

Months of fundraising

For Samchak Kukulcán, competing in Brazil is also the payoff from months of organizing and seeking financing. The paddlers turned to community support to cover the costs of traveling to a competition abroad.

Fundación Creer said the project aims to show that an active life is possible after a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, and to create spaces where women who have been through similar experiences can spend time together.

The international gathering opens November 5 and closes November 8, with sporting events in which the Quintana Roo representatives will share boats and stories with breast cancer survivors from other parts of the world.