What prompted this post was when I heard a breast cancer survivor tell her story on the news. She was preparing to run a 44km marathon. She felt by sharing her story it may inspire others. She ended her interview by saying, "beautiful things woven into ugly things".
Just recently, my Dragonboat team had a practice day, as opposed to our regular Wednesday night practice. Pink Ladies were everywhere. As I watched them get ready to paddle, I was curious as to how many accumulated survival years this team would have. They all have their own unique story, not one journey is the same as another paddler. There is one exception, their stories all end the same, they are all breast cancer survivors. Being on a Dragonboat with other breast cancer survivors is a perfect example of a beautiful thing woven into the ugly things.
When I first joined the team, as a supporter, I assumed it be like a support group; there would be lots of talk about breast cancer. Dragonboat paddling is certainly a support group but not about their cancer story. Every member of the team feels supported in every aspect of the word. When a new member joins the team, members just take on their roles. They help them learn to paddle and by the end of the first practice they want to be part of the team. When it is time to get ready to go to a festival, everything just falls into place. I know they never forget the ugly things they have been through and are more than willing to help others with their ugly things, which is such a beautiful thing about this team.
My Wave friends aren't afraid to share their breast cancer story. It is like they can go right back to the beginning, and it can create such deep emotions when they do. There is a similarity in their stories, the devastation of being diagnosed, having the required surgery followed by treatment. Unlike many other surgeries, these women have to decide how they want to look. At some point they may consider breast augmentation, prophylactic mastectomy of the other breast, reconstruction or nothing.
Paddling takes considerable concentration. Or should I say, I need concentration. It seems if my mind wonders for a nano second, I am out of sync and water is going everywhere. I discussed this with another paddler, and she said it was the same for her. She went on to say that was one of the reasons she loves paddling, for 2 hours once a week, she thinks of nothing but paddling. There are times in our lives when 2 hours of peace, exercise, and distraction is what is needed.
On the paddling day, I was honored to be part of a conversation about a family that has the Braxton gene. All of her siblings, her niece and 3 of her nephews have the gene. She herself is a BC survivor and has had her uterus and ovaries removed. She now is having to consider bilateral mastectomy.
A google search told me that it is a high family risk if you have the "Braxton" gene. I found out that we all have BRCA genes. When they function normally, they repair damaged DNA. For some families, harmful mutations significantly increase the lifetime risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Fewer than 10% of breast cancer cases are caused by BRCA mutations. For those with the gene, the risks are profound. The women have a 60-85% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, compared to 12% chance in other women. Men also have an elevated risk with a 7% chance of developing breast cancer by 80. They also face higher risks of aggressive prostate cancer. Every six months, the women have regular screening; either a mammogram or MRI. I had never heard anyone talk about the Braxton gene before, and I realized how little I knew about it. Her family stands united as having "the gene". They were clearly a family in the know, they are in this fight together! It was like a beautiful thing that happened out of the ugly for their family.
The day a person is diagnosed with cancer is the day they are classed as a survivor. I am not sure how often a person that has received a cancer diagnosis thinks about their cancer. I know it is consuming initially and for some time following. As time goes on, I don't know if it is a thought that occurs many times a day, daily or less often. I think it would be like grief, you never know when it will raise its head, and it is a tough day. For families with the Braxton gene, it is not a choice. They have to think about it; it is their normal family conversation.
For the lady on the news, her beautiful thing is to run and inspire others. When you join a Breast Cancer Dragonboat Team, you will quickly realize that it is a beautiful thing that is woven into ugly things.
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