CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF DRAGON BOATING IN VANCOUVER

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International Pink Sisters were excited to meet with Europa Donna, a small group mainly of breast

cancer survivors.  Europa Donna is the cancer support agency in Zagreb, Croatia.  Since we had

such a great experience when we met with the Cyprus group in 2018, we were hoping that this

would happen again group in 2018, we were hoping that this would happen again

As we sat around in a circle telling our stories, I found there was a lot of similarities between our

team and the Zagreb group.   The organizer shared losing her daughter to

cancer. This is what brought her to the Europa Donna group.  Little did they know one of

our members had also lost her daughter to cancer.  We all can feel and share the pain. 

Most of this group went through cancer as did all of us. Our differences in treatment and

healing were compared. Stories, tears and laughter were shared. I could feel the two groups growing closer. 

One team member talked about Dr. Don McKenzie’s research at UBC which resulted in the

start of dragon boating for breast cancer survivors. Dr Don had other studies which encouraged

exercise while doing chemotherapy.  These had good results.

We shared our own experiences with dragon boat racing and how it has allowed us to travel the

world promoting Breast Cancer Awareness. International Pink Sisters’ travels have taken us to the

Philippines in 2011, Turkey 2012, Amsterdam 2019, Ireland 2023 and various other countries.

They were very interested to hear how the number of breast cancer teams has grown around the

world.  We talked about a BCS team, recently formed in Zadar, Croatia, only 300km/200mi.away.

Their motivation and enthusiasm grew as we talked.  These women already

displayed courage, commitment and comradeship. They became so excited an

unanimous decision was made to start a team. They nominated one of their women as

their team captain.  She accepted.  We explained there was a local canoe & kayak club in

Zagreb that had dragon boats and the festival organizer had said “he would help them”.

One question raised was “What is the story of the pink bear, your mascot?”

I smiled, pushed the button and we began to sing our team song.  “Keep Smiling”,

with everyone in a circle holding hands as we sang.

They fell in love with our bear; after our races in Croatia, she was all theirs’. 

We left feeling we had made new friends and hoping to see them out on the water in a

boat sometime.  One of the International Pink Sisters women commented: “We

accomplished our mission”. It almost seemed like a little miracle which speaks to the

tenacity of our new friends. We are so blessed to be able to share our story and go

forward to paddle another day.   International Pink Sisters

In closing Irene Curcic, one of the Croatia women, shared a poem she had written and published.  She gave us permission to share the following poem with others:

To you my dear, who doesn’t have anything to comb in the morning. 

To you beautiful, who goes to the tenth chemo and your every bone hurts, but

still you get up and fight.

To you brave, who looks at her own scars like trophys earned in victory. 

To you happy, who sings happily from the inside of your own heart even though

fear torments you. 

To you gentle, who hugs her own child with hands numb because of Taxol, but

still, it feels it’s mothers; touch and melts out of love. 

To you lovely, who raises a smile because you just don’t want to cry. 

To you gorgeous, who draws her own eyebrows, ties a kerchief and goes out to

breathe the air with full lungs.

To you beauty, who hides her cracked veins from the eyes of your own children. 

To you gentle, who is changed forever, whose world is colored with new colors. 

To you my sister, for who NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

                       Europa Donna and International Pink Sisters Oct 2024 in Zagreb