Herb Valley Supports Adelaide Survivors Abreast Inc

Thursday 15th March 2007 2:30pm

c of aHerb Valley supports Adelaide Survivors Abreast.

http://www.adelaidesurvivorsabreast.org.au

About ASA

Adelaide Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat Club Inc was established in 2005.

ASA members promote breast cancer awareness by training and fundraising to compete in dragon boat racing locally, intrastate, nationally and at times, internationally.

Breast cancer survivors are the “LIVING” side of breast cancer and our aim is to celebrate life and “seize the day”.

We participate in the fierce, fast, furious sport of dragon boat racing with a competitive spirit.  In doing so, we promote breast cancer awareness and the early detection of breast cancer, especially in younger men and women.

Our Club invites breast cancer survivors, both male and female, and supporters, to join us in the Dragon Boat Association, registered as Dragon Boat SA, as one of their clubs in South Australia.

Dragon boat paddling was first introduced to breast cancer survivors in 1996 in Vancouver, Canada.  Dr Don Mackenzie from the Sports Institute of Vancouver took a group of survivors out on the water in a dragon boat.  The exercise of paddling helped reduce lymphoedema (the swelling of the arm after surgery) and their participation in this sport gave the women inspiration to celebrate life.

Some of our founding members of ASA are from the “originals” of the first breast cancer survivor team in South Australia in 2001.  We also have a male breast cancer survivor in our Club (1% of all diagnosed breast cancer occurs in males).

Past members have helped motivate and inspire the first Malaysian teams of survivors to paddle in dragon boats in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.  Some of our members, both current and past, have travelled to compete in Rome, Cape Town, Penang and Vancouver, Singapore and nationally in Queensland, ACT, Sydney and Victoria with a swag of megals to their credit.

During Breast Cancer Awareness month in Australia, members of Adelaide Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat Club Inc participate in breast cancer awareness events to promote our cause.

We have supported the scientific work of Dr Sally Stephenson at the QEH’s SA Medical Research Trust in the research for a cure for breast cancer and have also contributed to the Marjorie Nelson Jackson Leukemia Foundation.