Pool of Life crew row to prove there’s life after breast cancer

May 12 2008 by Ben Schofield, Liverpool Daily Post

A CREW of breast cancer survivors paddled 26 miles along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal on Saturday to show there is life after the disease.

The 17 women, who power the Pool of Life dragon boat, wanted to raise awareness of their “floating support group”.

Along with more than 30 well-wishers, they steered the boat from the Running Horses pub, in Lydiate, to the Windmill pub in Parbold and back.

After a pub breakfast, the crew left at 9.30am and the boat stopped at watering holes in Haskayne, Heatons Bridge and Burscough on the way, where Pool of Life members chatted with passers-by and drinkers to drum up support.

Boat chairperson Wendy De Corte, a 46-year-old teacher from Warrington, who will mark four years in remission this August, said: “It was a fantastic day. We had a lot of support from people on the towpath and the canal boats.”

Wendy said she and teammate Marion Eastwood came up with the idea of the profile-raising paddle.

She added: “We’re a floating support group and we thought this was the best way of going about things – we all dressed in pink and it was a party atmosphere.

“We had a few members of the public come up and say they had a friend or a family member who had been diagnosed. Some of them were quite emotional.”

Mother-of-two Wendy said the dragon boat support group idea comes from the United States.

“We train for an hour and a half each session and then people are on the phone to each other and we have social events and meet for lunch after training,” she added.

Pool of Life is part of Liverpool’s Amethus boat club. They train three times a week at the Liverpool watersports centre at Queen’s dock.

Two of the current team are currently undergoing cancer treatment and sometimes have to miss training because of the harsh side effects. But they say Canadian researchers have found upper body exercise could help patients during recovery.

Margaret Shields, former Merseyside Woman of the Year and breast cancer patient, joined the team.

She said: “There is a strong determination for everyone involved to show that a breast cancer diagnosis doesn’t mean that you should give up.

“New studies are showing that being active, especially with the techniques used in dragon boating, reduces the effects of Lymphoedma. It also helps produce a strong mental and physical attitude.” The team went to Singapore in 2006 to compete in the breast cancer dragon boat racing world championships. They won one silver and three bronze medals.

In September this year, they plan to travel to Italy to compete in a European competition.

Formed in 2004, they say they are Great Britain’s first dragon boat for women who are beating breast cancer.

The crew is self-funding but they welcome donations to meet their £1,500 yearly costs.

benschofield