[VIDEO] Breast cancer survivors paddle to reclaim their lives

PUTRAJAYA – A group of senior women previously diagnosed with cancer have been making their journey to recovery by paddling dragon boats.

The women, who are members of a watercraft team called the Pink Challengers Dragon Boat Club, had been inspired by the activity to focus on their post-treatment rehabilitation.

Through their weekly meetings at the Putrajaya Lakehouse Club, some 50 women – in their 50s and 70s – gather as early as 7am to pick up their paddles and start the outing by wheeling the boat into the lake.

Pink Challengers Dragon Boat Club president Debbie Wong said some of the women travelled from areas such as Ampang and Petaling Jaya for their training.

“Some of us are working and if they come after work it would be too late.

“During weekends, sometimes they want to spend time with their family. So, it is quite difficult to find time, but we try to make time for the sake of our rehabilitation,” Wong told The Vibes.
Wong is also a breast cancer survivor who has been in remission for five years.

She had her first lumpectomy in 2015, which is a surgery to remove a breast cancer tumour and the rim of the healthy tissue surrounding it.

Meanwhile, her team member Kok Lian Yee was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.

Lian Yee had not only one, but three tumours removed in a span of eight years.

“You look at some of the women here, they are so strong. Some of us are still going through chemo.

“We are out (in the lake) for almost an hour and a half, depending on the type of training we do, we can paddle for long periods but not so hard, and sometimes we paddle fast but powerfully,” Lian Yee said.

“For somebody, those of us after surgery and we have recovered, it helps give us back our strength.” 

Through their dragon boat activity, Wong and her team members also spread awareness to encourage women to do medical check-ups for early detection of cancer.

For more on their inspiring story, watch the video to see how these women conduct their weekly training. – The Vibes, October 10, 2022