The inspiration for this event came from our Pink Phoenix™ sister, Traci Van Dyken. Traci joined our team in 2009. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 27 and lived with it valiantly for 8 years until she died in February of 2017.
Traci loved being a member of Pink Phoenix™ and paddling with our team. Due to the spread of her disease to her bones, her oncologist was a bit nervous about Traci paddling. She thought if her doctor could only join her on the water he would then understand how important it was to her to keep paddling.
This event is a way for our team to say thank you to those professionals who have made a positive impact in our journey as survivors. Physicians, Nurses, Physical Therapists, Nutritionists, Personal Trainers – anyone who has made a difference in our recovery.
Many times, this experience serves as the best method of recruiting new paddlers as often these professionals get a feel for what dragon boating means to us and are eager to share the benefits of our paddling sisterhood.
