About
Who We Are
Hope Afloat USA is a dragon boat team for breast cancer survivors. It has been proven that this type of upper- body exercise is beneficial in reducing lymphedema in women who have been treated for breast cancer. Our mission is to help survivors of breast cancer make positive emotional, spiritual, and physical changes in their lives through the ancient sport of Dragon Boat Racing. We provide women, regardless of age or athletic ability, with hope, support, camaraderie and adventure, and the knowledge that they can lead active, full lives after a breast cancer diagnosis.
What Is A Dragonboat?
A dragon boat is a 38-foot long, very stable boat, similar in shape to a canoe. There are 10 seats in the boat and 20 paddlers who sit 2 abreast in the seats. There is a drummer who sits in the front of the boat facing the paddlers. There is a steer person who stands at the back of the boat. On race days, the boats are adorned with a very colorful dragon head and tail. Timing is the key to winning a race, and although we practice for hours on end, the actual races are adrenaline-charged sprints that usually last only several minutes. Dragon Boat Racing is a sport that began in China more than 2,000 years ago and is currently said to be the fastest growing water sport in the world.
Dr. McKenzie - Our Hero!
Dragon boating for Breast Cancer Survivors (BCS) was initiated in the fall of 1995 by Dr. Donald C. McKenzie, a sports medicine physician and exercise physiologist. The consensus of the medical field at that time was that breast cancer patients should limit repetitive activities involving the upper body in order to prevent lymphedema. Dr. McKenzie disagreed with this belief and set out to prove that exercise would be beneficial both physically and psychologically for breast cancer survivors. To this end, he formed the first BCS dragon boat team called “Abreast in a Boat.” He chose dragon boating because it is a strenuous, repetitive, upper body exercise that provided an opportunity to work with a large group of people at one time. Dr. McKenzie’s experiment was a total success! The paddlers on his team showed a marked improvement in both physical and mental health. There were no significant side effects and no new cases of lymphedema. As word of the tremendous success and obvious benefits for the women involved spread, BCS teams began to form across Canada, the USA, and all around the world. Today, there are over 100 BCS dragon boat teams in over 20 countries, including Africa, Australia, New Zealand, China, Poland, Italy, and England. In 2005, the International Breast Cancer Paddler’s Commission (IBCPC) was formed and hosted the first international BCS dragon boat festival in Vancouver, Canada, attended by over 2000 breast cancer survivors. This event now takes place every 4 years and has been held in Coloundra, Australia; Peterborough, Canada; Sarasota, Florida; Florence, Italy; and Lake Karapiro, New Zealand. Hope Afloat has participated in five of these six events. The next International Race will be held in August, 2026, in Aix-les-Bains, France. Hope Afloat is excited to be participating in this race also!
Positive Impact
The positive impact of Hope Afloat is measured on three levels:
The exercise of dragon boat paddling contributes to our individual health and wellness.
The team environment envelops us in a mutually caring and supportive community that replaces fear with strength and purpose.
Our community visibility provides the platform to inspire other survivors to live full and active lives, and raises awareness for everyone we meet that there is life after cancer.