Breast cancer survivors take to the lake as Dragon Divas, racing and empowering each other
LITTLE CANADA, Minn. — October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and a group of survivors is fighting back with boats and paddles. They are known as the Dragon Divas and they empower each other.
At Lake Gervais in Little Canada, dozens of women ages 35 to 85, grabbed their paddles, hopped in boats, and found their rhythm.
"It's fantastic. It's so inspirational," said Meredith Leary Johnson. "I love that in dragon boat racing they call racing 'festivals.' It makes it so much more 'diva-ish.'"
Johnson is one of the newest members of the Dragon Divas. They practice up to three times a week, and as much fun as it is, it was a breast cancer diagnosis that brought them together.
"I had the misfortune of being diagnosed in the middle of a pandemic. I dealt with so much loss all at once," said Johnson.
Like many of her teammates, when Johnson got done with treatment at Allina Health she didn't know what to do next. Her physical therapist recommended the Divas.
"I'm sitting behind a woman who is a grandmother seven times over. And behind me is a woman who is in her 30s," said Johnson.
Cory Graham is one of the leaders. After being diagnosed years ago, she went through 37 radiation treatments in two months. It made her want to take control of her health any way she could.
"It's really been a focus in my life for 17 years ago," Graham said. "And to get on a dragon boat and paddle shows our family and friends the strength that stayed within us. Even though, on the outside, our appearances may have looked pretty weak."
Not anymore. This coming weekend, many of the divas will be in Las Vegas for a dragon boat festival and competition. These women stayed the course to beat cancer, so navigating rough waters is no problem.
"Everything just comes together because we are comfortable with each other. We have a relationship with trust and love, ultimately," Graham said.
About 80 women make up the Dragon Divas. They say studies show that regular exercise, like paddling a dragon boat, helps prevent cancer recurrence.