85-Year-Old Dragon Boater Proves Life Thrives After Cancer

At 85 years old, Susan Benjamin doesn't just survive breast cancer. She slices through Mercer Lake twice a week with a paddle in her hands, calling it "exhilarating."

Benjamin joined the Machestic Dragons 11 years ago after her daughter suggested dragon boating might help her recovery. The Monroe Township resident discovered something far beyond exercise: a community of women who understand the journey from diagnosis to triumph.

"My mind tends not to focus, but on the boat, I'm in the moment," Benjamin said. "It's a marvelous place to be."

The Machestic Dragons are New Jersey's first organized dragon boat team for breast cancer survivors. They meet twice weekly on Mercer Lake, where ages range from 21 to 85, though most paddlers are in their 60s.

President Francesca Gervasi hadn't paddled before joining the team to support a friend. Now she leads a group of about 40 members who've become family.

"We become sisters," Gervasi said. "This is the closest group of women I have ever been with."

The team hosts Paddle for Pink on June 13 at Mercer Lake, their annual Dragon Boat Festival featuring races, a silent auction with over $30,000 in items, and a ceremony where pink carnations float on the water honoring those touched by breast cancer. Twenty teams from the tri-state area will compete, with proceeds supporting local organizations providing essential services to breast cancer patients.

Dragon boating became linked to breast cancer recovery in the late 1980s when Canadian physician Dr. Don McKenzie challenged the practice of avoiding exercise after treatment. His research showed that resistance exercise like paddling actually prevents or reduces lymphedema, a common side effect of breast cancer treatment.

Since then, studies confirm what the Machestic Dragons experience firsthand: paddling builds strength, confidence, and hope.

Sunny's Take

There's something powerful about 22 women moving a boat in perfect sync, many of them survivors who were once told to take it easy. Gervasi admits she sometimes feels tired before practice but goes anyway.

"Once at practice it is so invigorating," she said. "You feel like you have accomplished something. You work and encourage each other."

The team welcomes new paddlers, survivors and supporters alike, offering free practice sessions. No experience necessary, just willingness to discover what Benjamin and Gervasi already know: there's not just life after breast cancer, there's joy, strength, and sisterhood.

"New survivors can see that there is hope after breast cancer," Benjamin said. "The strenuous activity says, 'I can do stuff.'"

The Machestic Dragons prove it every time they push off from shore.