14/06/2026
🩷 The Story Behind the Boat – Week 3 of 5
In the 1990s, many women recovering from breast cancer were advised to avoid strenuous upper-body exercise.
Doctors and health professionals genuinely believed that activities such as paddling, lifting weights, tennis, golf, gardening and other repetitive arm movements could increase the risk of lymphoedema after breast cancer treatment.
The advice was well-intentioned, but it often left women feeling restricted, fearful and uncertain about what their bodies were capable of after cancer.
A Canadian sports medicine physician, Dr Don MacKenzie, questioned that belief.
He recognised that avoiding exercise could itself have consequences — reduced strength, loss of confidence, poorer fitness, weight gain, reduced bone density and a lower quality of life.
Rather than accepting conventional wisdom, he decided to test it.
In 1996, Dr MacKenzie recruited 24 breast cancer survivors and formed a dragon boat team called Abreast In A Boat.
The team trained and paddled as part of a groundbreaking research project.
What happened next changed breast cancer recovery around the world.
The research showed that dragon boat paddling did not worsen lymphoedema and could be both safe and empowering for breast cancer survivors.
Women became stronger.
They became fitter.
They became more confident.
Most importantly, they discovered they did not have to be afraid of using their bodies again.
The findings challenged decades of accepted thinking and helped transform how breast cancer rehabilitation is viewed worldwide.
The study wasn't really about dragon boating.
It was about proving that breast cancer survivors could be strong, active and capable after treatment......living fully.
Dr MacKenzie's work also contributed to a much broader understanding that exercise is a powerful part of cancer recovery and survivorship, helping to improve physical health, emotional wellbeing and quality of life.
The success of the study sparked a worldwide movement.
Dragon boat teams for breast cancer survivors began appearing across Canada, Australia and around the globe.
Today, more than 400 breast cancer paddling teams across 41 countries are connected through the International Breast Cancer Paddling Commission (IBCPC), with thousands of women paddling together in a powerful demonstration of strength, resilience and survivorship.
Nearly 30 years later, groups like Dragons Abreast Central Coast continue to carry that legacy forward every time we launch a boat on Budgewoi Lake.
We are living proof of the message that started with 24 women in Vancouver:
Recovery is not about standing still.
It's about moving forward together. 🩷🚣♀️
🩷 Next week (4 of 5): The birth of Dragons Abreast Australia and how the movement found its way to our shores.
