Once they beat cancer, they paddled to the beat of a drum.
The WonderBroads, a dragon boat team of Windsor breast cancer survivors, said their lives are now about enjoying living, being active and staying healthy.
“This group is a very important part of that because they not only help you, they get into your heart,” one of the WonderBroads founding members, Peggy Hurley, 49, said Saturday at the team’s second annual St. Patrick’s Day fundraising/breast cancer awareness golf tournament at On the Green Indoor Golf in Tecumseh. “And if you have healthy heart, you’re healthy being is right behind it.”
In a world saturated with supplements claiming to decrease breast cancer risk and studies linking diet and breast cancer, the majority of the 40-member team said they strive for a healthy diet and lifestyle while opting for traditional breast cancer treatments.
WonderBroads coach, Pat Richards, 61, said though some studies boast significant results, there’s not enough long-term research to back up the data.
“I think you’re put into a spot that you’re so scared at first that you just do whatever,” said Hurley, who is open to “whatever works.”
“Personally, when I went through chemo it wasn’t pleasant, but it works.”
Hurley was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994 and treated with chemotherapy and radiation.
Last month, results from a University of Guelph study found a lifelong diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids could inhibit growth of breast cancer tumours by 30 per cent. Herbal supplements on shelves in stores like Shoppers Drug Mart and Wal-Mart, claim to support breast health and prevent disease.
Some of the WonderBroads believe when people are diagnosed with cancer they get to a point where they are willing to try anything and are affected by alternative treatments “psychologically.”
“Chemotherapy is very hard on the body – it kills everything. So it’s hard and it’s hard to accept that,” said Richards, who ran the Lifestyle Fitness program at the University of Guelph for 25 years and is one of the only members of the non-profit charitable team who has not had breast cancer. “It makes you sick. You’re thinking of finding something else that might be easier on the body and then people do some reading and get on the internet. It’s not enough to stop traditional treatment.”
Ever since JoJo Quenneville-Masse was diagnosed with breast cancer 14 years ago, she started taking a range of supplements in addition to traditional treatment. Currently she takes silium, barley green, vitamin C and D, calcium, magnesium, kelp, cats claw – which comes from the thorns of a native Amazon plant, and drinks raw vegetable juice in the morning.
Her cancer came back last year, but she feels it would’ve come back “harder” without her diet change.
“I still believe in the medical end of it I just think this really helps. I feel like I have more energy,” said Quenneville-Masse, who is taking Herceptin and Remidex after finishing chemotherapy and radiation for the second time in her life. “I would never quit the drug end of it.”
The WonderBroads tournament not only raises breast cancer awareness but also helps the team pay for things like boat storage and maintenance. Last year the team raised $2,000.
Hurley said the WonderBroads hope to return to the water early April.
“Once we get in the boat it’s all about the sport,” Hurley said.
For more information go to wonderbroads.org.
Rita Johnson, left, and Carol Mancinone admire a golf shot while at the Wearing of the Green at On the Green fundraiser in Tecumseh, Saturday, March 16, 2013. The fundraiser was put on by the WonderBroads Charitable Dragon Boat Racing Organization. (DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star)
From left, WonderBroad Janice Moroun, Carol Mancinone, and WonderBroad Mage Holman, participate in the Wearing of the Green at On the Green fundraiser in Tecumseh, Saturday, March 16, 2013. (DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star)
Rita Johnson, centre, checks the score while Carol Mancinone, left, and WonderBroad Marge Holman, right, participate in the Wearing of the Green at On the Green fundraiser in Tecumseh, Saturday, March 16, 2013. (DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star)
