Dragon boaters on fire after breast cancer
Boobops fundraising for international regatta in April
When Julie Sach was diagnosed with breast cancer, it felt like a “death sentence”. The 59-year-old recalls feeling “devastated” when she was diagnosed after a routine mammogram, aged 45.
Sach said the lump was internal and if it weren’t for the mammogram, “it wouldn’t have been picked up for a long time after that”.
But now, nearly 15 years later, the Tauranga woman is competing in an international dragon boating regatta at Lake Kara¯piro next year.
Sach joined Tauranga’s breast cancer survivors dragon boating team — the Boobops — when her support visitor from Breast Cancer Support Service Tauranga Trust mentioned it.
Having breast cancer was “a pretty isolating experience”, Sach said. “And then I met 25 other people who’d all had breast cancer.”
After her diagnosis, she started treatment — surgery and radiation — straight away.
“Probably about six weeks after radiation, I went for my first paddle,” she said.
Sach has been a Boobops member since she was diagnosed, which has helped her to realise “plenty of other people go through this”.
“It helped me to understand it’s survivable,” she said.
“We know that exercise is medicine. Exercise is one of the best things you can do post-cancer.”
The Boobops are fundraising for a five-day International Dragon Boating Regatta in April at Lake Kara¯ piro, with an event on August 28 at Baycourt with local band the Harmonic Resonators.
Sach encouraged people to support the Boobops by going, and described the Harmonic Resonators’ music as “toe-tapping” and “very uplifting”.
“You’ll be smiling afterwards.” The Boobops are hoping to raise $30,000 for the entry fee for their two teams. Any additional money would go towards uniforms and accommodation, she said.
Sach said the team went to Florence, Italy in 2018 and came 11th in the world.
This time, “we want to be in the top 10”.
Sach said more than 100 dragon boating teams were going to Kara¯ piro to compete in the regatta, from all around the world — Canada, America, UK, Singapore, China and Australia.
“It’s pretty cool that we’re hosting it.”
Coach Judith Butler said the team represented “life after breast cancer” and “women getting on with our lives”.
“It’s all about exercise and camaraderie.”
Butler said there were two teams entering the regatta from the Bay of Plenty.
“Everyone’s excited and because of the pandemic we haven’t been competing so nobody knows where we stand competitively . . . and with two boats out there it’s going to be amazing. The girls are really excited.”
Butler said the teams were training twice per week, but trained three times per week in the summer.