Breast cancer survivor Dee Elferink says she’s found an unexpected lifeline in the Victor Dragons.
The dragon boat club has supported her from remission and recovery to re-occurrence of the disease.
The South Coast resident first discovered a lump in her right breast in 2022. After ignoring it for a few weeks, she went for a mammogram and was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Following surgery and radiation, Dee joined the Victor Dragons and competed in some races with the team.
Then in early 2023, she discovered two very large, aggressive tumours in her left breast, which required surgery, chemotherapy for seven to eight months, and then radiation treatment.
This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dee has reflected with ARN’s Jennie Lenman on her past two years and says she is eternally grateful to her community sporting group.
“I couldn’t paddle for a while after surgery but I tell you what they made me feel like I was still part of the race team, they still made me feel like I was still in the boat. I was having chemotherapy every Thursday and I’d start getting text messages on Wednesdays to wish me luck and Thursdays they’d be checking in… They dragged me for coffees and things like that,” Dee told ARN’s Jennie Lenman.
Dee is urging people, especially women over 40, to see Breast Screen SA every two years for check-ups and to see a doctor if something doesn’t feel right.
“Take advantage of the free mammograms, they take 10 minutes, yes it feels a bit squashy, it doesn’t hurt that much really and it’s definitely worth it because the stats at the moment are around 60 women are diagnosed [with breast cancer] in Australia every single day… thankfully also the survival rates of catching it early are over 90%,” Dee told ARN’s Adam and Jennie.
Dee has also written A Margarita Memoir during her cancer journey, a wacky and whimsical journey into the sensual, feverish and slightly cheeky history of the famous cocktail.
For those interested in finding out more about the Victor Dragons, they host ‘Come N Try’ sessions every Wednesday and Sunday at 9.15am and, now, during the warmer weather, on Fridays at 5pm with ages 10 to 100 welcome. The team asks for some notice by contacting Club President, Morag Craig on 0409 692 240 or Coach Bron Bowen on 0422 776 332.
The club is also hosting a fundraising Quiz Night on Friday 29th November at 7pm at the Victor Harbor Recreation Centre.
