New Pittsburgh dragon boat team brings cancer survivors together

FOX CHAPEL, Pa. (KDKA) -- There's a new dragon boat team forming in Pittsburgh, and they need paddlers. But there is one criteria to be on this new team: you have to be a cancer survivor.

For Mary Scanlon of Aspinwall, life is best on the water.

"It's a great stress reliever," said Scanlon. "If you have a bad day at work, you can come out here, and I always say I like to paddle my guts out in peace and tranquility on the water."

Many, if not all, of the members of Steel City Dragons likely agree with Scanlon. For this crew, when they are on the water, real world problems like battling cancer don't seem so daunting.

In 2022, Scanlon was in the fight of her life, battling and ultimately beating pancreatic cancer. And while she has always been on a team with the Steel City Dragons, she now finds herself on the newly formed Pittsburgh Unity - All Cancer Team.

The goal of this new crew is to bring survivors together in a positive way.

"When you are going through stuff, they understand it," said Scanlon. "It's just a really great support because it's a lot of people who have been through it themselves. And people look out for each other and It's a great group of people. And it's just really been a blessing to me."

If you are a cancer survivor and you want to grab a paddle, you can find more information online.