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Paddles Up

Local cancer survivors paddle for empowerment in the Dragon Boat Charleston.

Originally published in the September/October 2003 issue of Charleston Magazine

What has a fearsome face, purple scales down its 48-foot side, and cruises in and around the City Marina to the beat of a drum?

It's the Dragon Boat Charleston (DBC) and the 22 eager paddlers who make her fly. The sport of dragon boating, which dates back more than 2,000 years to China,has finally reached our shores through the efforts of the Hollings Cancer Center.

When Dr. Cindy Carter of MUSC and Janet Bloch first learned of a paddling program in Canada created especially for breast-cancer survivors, they traveled to Vancouver, B.C., to see for themselves. Impressed with the effects on the survivors physical and emotional wellbeing, Carter and Bloch dedicated themselves to developing a similar program back home. After much fundraising, the DBC was launched this summer.

A community-wide program, DBC is open to all cancer survivors, both men and women. "We've got these people whose bodies have been beaten up by chemotherapy and radiation. It just blows me away to witness their enthusiasm when they come off the boat. It's truly inspiring," says DBC coordinator Sterling Hannah .

The DBC is currently in serious training mode to prepare for their first race at the Philadelphia Dragon Boat Festival. Paddles up Charleston and take it away. Want to join or support the DBC? E-mail Sterling Hannah .