'I'm still alive to complain about it': Breast cancer survivors find wellness through Limerick Dragons
Jacqui Ryan and Vidette Ryan Molyneaux of the Limerick Dragons. Picture: Brendan Gleeson
On the River Shannon, breast cancer survivors have found “serenity” in dragon boat racing.
Vidette Ryan Molyneaux and Jacqui Ryan are among dozens of Limerick Dragons who have found a safe space on the water, while raising awareness and improving their wellness.
The group are dragon boat racers and a support group. It was founded in 2016, though it took another year before they could fund their first boat.
Molyneaux, the chair of the group, was diagnosed in 2010 after getting a scan and a mammogram. She was about to embark on a train to Dublin to collect her wedding invitations when she received the news.
“When I got the call from the GP, I knew the game was up,” she recalled.
“I was a nurse in a previous lifetime. That was it, I was diagnosed. I always say to people, ‘It's the magic carpet that takes you out’. You really do lose a year of your life.”
Prior to her diagnosis, Ms Molyneaux had never been worried about getting cancer.
“My fiancé James's first wife had died of breast cancer, and I genuinely thought that the Lord above would never do it to the same man twice. How stupid was I?”
She went through seven sessions of chemotherapy and 36 sessions of radiation.
Limerick Dragons was formed in South’s Pub in 2016. It took them a year to be able to fund their first boat. Last year, they bought a second-hand boat, which they renovated with the help of the staff in Henry Street’s Garda Station.
The ancient Chinese water sport was trialled as a treatment for breast cancer survivors by Dr Don McKenzie in 1996. He found that the movement required for paddling prevents the risk of lymphedema.
But the Limerick Dragons don’t take part in the sport solely for wellness reasons. On the water, they have found serenity — and most importantly, friendship.
“The beauty of going out with people that have either experienced cancer or their families have, is that you don't really have to explain yourself, how you feel, your limitations," said Ms Molyneaux.
“If you have lymphedema, nobody's going to take notice of it. We've been there, we've done it, we've seen it all.
"We're able to support each other. It’s great to go out with like-minded people that can understand where you're coming from because there are days, no matter how far along you are in the cycle, where you find you're having a bad day. And that's okay, we accept that,” explained Ms Molyneaux.
According to her, women can feel isolated after treatment.
“You’ve had your surgery, you're in and out to get checked, you start your chemotherapy. And all of a sudden, they just say goodbye to you. You just come out the door and you say, ‘Wow, I'm finished. What's next?’
“Sometimes that's not easy for people. Sometimes that's the time when they need their most support, because they now find that they're very isolated. That's not a nice place to be. So joining us is a good idea, from that point of view,” said Ms Molyneaux.
Two and a half years ago, Jacqui Ryan was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. She says she considers herself “very lucky”.
“I got diagnosed through the normal mammogram. Once you're over 50, you get it every two years. It was discovered that I had breast cancer. I say I'm lucky because they had skipped a year, so I missed a year getting my mammogram, and then when they did get around to checking me, they discovered I had it. But they got me in the very early stages.
“If they'd done me a year earlier, I probably wasn't there. And if they'd done me a year later, I was probably much more advanced,” Ms Ryan said.
She had a lumpectomy, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
“I had triple negative, which is supposed to be one of the highest risk ones for coming back. At the moment, I'm doing very well.” Ms Ryan joined the Limerick Dragons in June — and she is “absolutely loving it”.
“They must be the most welcoming bunch of women that I've ever had the joy of working or playing with, whatever you want to say. They're fabulous, they made me very welcome. Right from day one, I’ve never felt left out.”
If she had one piece of advice to give to those who might want to join the group, it’s to not be afraid.
“They give free trials to come out, and I was hooked after the first one. Don't be a bit afraid, we're all learners. I love getting out in the fresh air. I love getting out in the water, I think I might have been a water baby.”
As part of Pink October, the group will be going for a swim in pink this Sunday at O’Brien’s Bridge to raise awareness of breast cancer. The dragons will also be taking part in a fashion show organised by Castletroy Town Centre on October 23, in a bid to raise funds for Breast Cancer Ireland and UHL’s Symptomatic Breast Cancer Clinic.
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