Carol Dale was 51 and working as a freelance editor when she was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 1991. She says the diagnosis terrified her. Many people with the disease describe it as a “journey”, and Dale’s started shortly after her surgery, when she signed up for an experiment. She and 23 other breast-cancer survivors agreed to become members of a dragon-boat team.

It was 1996. At the time, the prevailing medical opinion was that women who had been treated for breast cancer should avoid strenuous exercise for fear of developing lymphedema, or swelling in the arms or legs. Vancouver sports-medicine doctor Donald McKenzie wanted to challenge that notion, so he put out the call for volunteers to join the inaugural Abreast in a Boat crew.

Dale says that from the time the women first met each other to the moment they managed to cross the finish line at the Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival a few months later, the sport did much more than improve their physical conditioning. And not a single paddler went on to develop lymphedema.

“Dr. McKenzie was seeing women who’d been active but were told they couldn’t do anything once they’d been diagnosed, and he didn’t understand that, as a great believer in exercise,” Dale recalls by phone. “I was told that too. I went to the gym and ran a bit, then quit it all. I felt really restricted.

“He took us to the gym and showed us how to get fit for this sport,” adds Dale, the president of Abreast in a Boat, who now coaches the sport. “When we had our first practice, some of us had never seen a dragon boat before and some had never been on the water before. Some of us hadn’t been on a team since high school. We all just loved it. We felt a sense of freedom to be able to work together, and we shared our stories, and some of them were pretty scary. By the end of the season, we were the best of friends. We were thrilled with ourselves. It was a wonderful experience.”

Dale, who was a founding member of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, says the race was supposed to be the finish of that local dragon-boating effort. But there was no way those involved would end it. “Afterward, we all said, ‘Now what? Other women need to have this experience,’ ” she says.

There are now more than 160 dragon-­boat teams of breast-cancer survivors all over the world, including five other Abreast in a Boat teams in the Lower Mainland. Based in Vancouver, the International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission raises awareness of the disease, supports recreational dragon boating as part of a healthy lifestyle for those diagnosed with breast cancer, and shows by example how an active post-treatment life is possible.

Research out of UBC Okanagan is looking at new ways to increase physical activity among women with breast cancer following treatment. Cristina Caperchione, assistant professor at the university’s school of health and exercise sciences, is leading the project, which is being funded by a Lotte and John Hecht Memorial Foundation innovation grant from the Canadian Cancer Society.

On the line from her Kelowna office, Caperchione explains that the project is modelled on the microcredit system in place in some developing nations, where small amounts of funds are given to an individual to develop an income-generating project. With this initiative, survivors can apply for funding of $2,000 that they can use to pursue whatever type of physical activity or program they’re interested in, whether it’s to buy equipment for Nordic pole walking, hire a personal trainer, or take Zumba classes. To qualify, women must be able to do the activity with a group. If they meet their physical-activity goals after six months, they’re eligible for another $500.

“In people with breast cancer, after treatment we do see a decrease in overall physical-activity status, and it’s important to look at lifestyle and behaviour to see how we can help them get the best, optimal health benefits after the disease,” she says.

Among the barriers to exercise following treatment are fatigue, pain, depression, fear of recurrence, second cancers, cardiac dysfunction, weight gain or loss, fear of injury, lack of social support, limited physical-activity knowledge, and lack of motivation. By letting participants choose the kind of activity that appeals to them, compliance is likely to go way up.

“This approach empowers women and gives them ownership of what they want to do,” Caperchione says. “They’re developing their own program to optimize their own strengths and reduce their health concerns.

“One of the biggest reasons people don’t adhere to a program or aren’t motivated is because it’s something they don’t like doing,” she adds. “We want community members to tell us what they want, and we will do what we can to support that.”

The project will start in the Interior, but Caperchione hopes to expand it throughout B.C. and even possibly one day across Canada.

Dale can attest to the many benefits she and others have experienced by dragon boating year-round, effects that go far beyond the physical.

“You have to show up to do the exercise to support your teammates,” Dale says. “But we all love it; it’s made us different people. For women who experience a recurrence, there’s a built-in support system for her.

“Exercise is so much better for you than just sitting around,” she says. “Exercise changes your life. It makes you feel alive.”