Survivor Thrivers History
In the fall of 1998, Dorothy Hampson, a retired teacher and a breast cancer survivor in Cobourg, heard about the successful, yet unusual, exercise initiative Dr. Don McKenzie began and the Vancouver breast cancer survivors' dragon boat team, Abreast In A Boat, he started.
Dorothy contacted local survivors that she knew, who in turn contacted others and together they formed Survivor Thrivers in 1999 as a non-profit, charitable organization. With strong community support from individuals, service groups and businesses, we raised enough money to commission our own boat, to be built in Millbrook, Ontario.
Breast cancer survivors came from communities along Lake Ontario and to the north, learning to paddle side by side, while developing the special bond that came from sharing a life-threatening experience. Our paddling skills and strength developed quickly that year. We even managed to getsomeone up on water skis!
We went to Montreal for our first festival. The Team is pictured below
Back Row, left to right: Lorna Campbell (Port Hope), Carol Carr (Cobourg), Mary Brady (Cobourg), Helen Mendum (Havelock), Liz Lothian (Ajax), Trish Russell (Cobourg), Suzanne Liptay (Grafton), Chris Pietrzak (Cobourg), Barbara Blight (Cobourg), Cathy Dudley (Cobourg), Brenda Robinson (Pickering) Edith Carr (Port Hope), Sylvia Hall (Cobourg) |
|
FRONT ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: JEAN KERR (COBOURG), CAROLYN TAYLOR (GRAFTON), MARY COLLIN (PETERBOROUGH), KAREN HONSBERGER (PICKERING), MARG LIGHTLE "ROSE" ( COBOURG), GAIL BATT (PORT HOPE), LESLIE WEATHERBY(COBOURG), BARBARA BLANEY (COBOURG)
MISSING FROM PHOTO: BETTY WAKELY (PORT HOPE)
MISSING FROM PHOTO: BETTY WAKELY (PORT HOPE)
