Finding wellness, camaraderie in dragon boat racing
- Tamara Botting
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 hour ago
BRANTFORD/ HAMILTON, ON –Sarah Willson, a Hamilton resident, is a Resource Consultant in the Early Integration Program at Lansdowne Children’s Centre in Brantford. She shared a bit of her story of discovering dragon boat racing after completing breast cancer treatment.
This will be Sarah Willson’s fourth season on the water as a member of the Hamilton-based Knot A Breast dragon boat paddling team.
Willson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020. After she finished her treatments, she was looking for exercises to increase her mobility and decrease the risk of lymphedema, a localized swelling caused by a compromised lymphatic system that can cause infections.
She remembers thinking at that time in her life, “I just want to feel back in charge of my body. I want to feel strong.”
Willson connected with some others who had gone through breast cancer treatments, and one person recommended chiropractor Kathleen Corbett at the Corbett Family Chiropractic clinic in Burlington, who specializes in the Graston Technique, which can identify and treat areas of muscle restriction, scar tissue and adhesions. During one of her appointments, Willson found out that the chiropractor was herself a breast cancer survivor; she recommended trying dragon boat paddling.
Willson connected with the Knot A Breast team – the only qualifying requirement is to be a breast cancer survivor – and went to an on-water session to give it a try.
“They put this paddle in my hand, fitted me with a PFD (personal flotation device) and got out on the water,” she said.
“It was at the same time exhilarating and just emotionally moving to see this whole boatload of people who've had breast cancer out there being fit and working together joyfully, and also one of the most awkward, difficult movements I've ever had to make in my life physically. But I fell in love with it.”
In a standard dragon boat, there is a team of up to 20 paddlers, plus a steers person, who steers the boat from the rear, and the drummer, who directs the paddlers and helps them stay synchronized in their strokes.
The sport is very popular with many breast cancer survivors. This connection dates back to 1996, when Dr. Don McKenzie, an avid kayaker and a sports medicine physician working out of the University of British Columbia, developed a program that looked at the impact of dragon boat paddling on breast cancer survivors.
Previously, the prevailing recommendation was for these former patients to avoid strenuous upper body exercise, for fear of them developing lymphedema. Through his research, McKenzie determined that not only did dragon boat paddling not cause adverse effects for the participants, but they were physically fitter and happier, having built up camaraderie with their teammates.
That’s been Willson’s experience, too.
“It has been amazing,” she said.
She noted that with Knot A Breast, there is an understanding that everyone is coming in with different levels of fitness and wellness, but because it is a team sport where “you rely on each other to literally pull your own weight … we all just strive to do better for our teammates, and for yourself.”
While the team is on the water from May to October each year, they work on things like strength and cardio training year-round.
“Cardio kicks my behind every time,” Willson said with a laugh.
Still, she said the overall improvement to her physical health helps her in her role as a Resource Consultant in the Early Integration Program at Lansdowne Children’s Centre in Brantford.
“It has certainly made me far more fit to work with small children,” she said.
Not only that, but it’s helped with Willson’s emotional and mental health recovery after her diagnosis and treatment.
“Yes, we had breast cancer. Yes, we all came to dragon boat racing to feel better about ourselves. But now, it’s brought out the athlete and the competition in ourselves,” she said.
As a member of Knot A Breast, Willson has participated in a number of races and dragon boat festivals over the past few years – against other teams of breast cancer survivors, as well as Mixed and Women’s Divisions.
On June 20, Willson will be part of the first all-female dragon boat racing team to cross Lake Ontario, CLOsure (Crossing Lake Ontario), leaving from Niagara on the Lake and arriving in Toronto. This undertaking is a fundraiser for Options for Independent Living and Development in Hamilton, which empowers people with disabilities to live independent and productive lives.
In August 2026, she will be headed to Aix-Les-Bains, France to race in the International Breast Cancer Dragon Boat Festival.
Willson said since her diagnosis, she’s learned and grown a lot.
“(Breast cancer) was part of my life, but it's not my whole life. Now look at me – look what I can do.”
If you would like more information on the Knot A Breast team, or to make a donation, visit: https://knotabreast.com/
If you would like more information about the CLOsure team, or to make a donation, visit: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/closure--2025.