The Wonder Broads DragonBoat Team of Windsor/Essex paddled to win Gold in the breast cancer series, at the Festival, in Cleveland, last weekend. Many team members enjoyed the trip across Lake Erie on the Pelee Islander Ferry.The ride on Friday evening was breathtaking as the sun was setting. What a wonderful way to travel!

The team assembled at 7:30am on Saturday for opening ceremonies which included the dotting of the dragon’s eye. There were teams from the States as well as some strong mixed teams from Ontario. In the words of our coach Pat Richards: “Our team put together 4 very solid races and paddled like I have always known you can paddle. Our best time was 2:15 against 2 very strong coed teams from Toronto. One boat had 14 male paddlers in it. We were within 2 seconds of one boat and only 1 boat length behind the winning team of the day. That started our day and we just kept getting better and better, by winning the next 3 races. In the breast cancer cup we won that race by 2 and a half boat lengths… continuing to power down the lane.”

This was our 5th and last race of our 10th Anniversary Year. What a way to end the season! We are so fortunate to have the support of our families and friends as well as the sponsors who continue to donate to our team so that we can paddle and spread our message of dedication to courage, commitment and camaraderie. A huge thank you goes out to all of you! We could not do this without you…

There is lots of life after the diagnosis of breast cancer! We all continue to challenge ourselves as athletes and to support our teammates and other survivors in our communities.

The pictures were taken at our Barrie, Ontario race. The team members with lymphatic edema really appreciate the comfort and breathability of the sleeve and we love the Canadian design. They were comfortable for the whole day… I knew they would be. Everyone comments on it! Overall, it was a very successful project for our team.

I have a couple of sleeves which are the tattoo design. It is unbelievable how many people stop me to ask if it’s real. The sleeve has given me the opportunity to make people aware of edema and how stylish the compression sleeve can be. Even people who don’t need the compression want the sleeve! Especially younger people!

I really appreciated working with you in getting a sleeve designed and made for our team.