Dragon Boat Team Raises $150K for Cancer Research

A team of breast cancer survivors who paddle dragon boats together isn't just racing across the water anymore. They're racing toward a cure.

The Waves of Hope dragon boat team brought more than 100 people together Saturday at Brandon University for their first Day of Hope and Education conference. The Westman, Manitoba group launched an ambitious campaign to raise $150,000 by 2029 for the university's Cancer Cell and Molecular Research Laboratory, kicking things off with a $25,000 donation.

The team started hitting the water back in 1999, bringing together breast cancer survivors and their supporters. Now they're connecting an entire community of patients, healthcare providers, and researchers who are all working toward the same goal.

Betty Stewart, 86, has been paddling with Waves of Hope since the beginning. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, she felt scared and alone.

"Nobody talked about breast cancer," Stewart said. "There wasn't anybody really to talk to."

Today's reality looks completely different. The team has become like family, supporting each other through some of life's toughest moments while breaking down the silence that once surrounded the disease.

The Ripple Effect

The fundraiser supports Dr. Mousumi Majumder, who founded Brandon University's Cancer Cell and Molecular Research Laboratory in 2023. Her research focuses on detecting breast cancer earlier through blood tests, potentially changing how the disease is diagnosed.

For Majumder, the funding means more than just money. Every dollar raised lets her spend more time in the lab doing research instead of hunting for grants.

"These dragon boat ladies, they are not just paddling the boat, they are actually paddling the boat of knowledge," Majumder said.

Team manager Michelle Gerrard survived triple negative breast cancer 23 years ago, the exact type Majumder studies in her lab. She joined Waves of Hope right after her diagnosis and found immediate support from people who understood exactly what she was facing.

"When you're going through treatments, especially something as scary as cancer treatments, it's so important to just have a group around you who understand," Gerrard said. "You don't have to explain to them what it's like. They just know."

The team's conference created space for survivors to share their stories while researchers presented the latest innovations in breast cancer treatment. That kind of connection between the lab and the lives it touches makes the science feel personal and urgent.

Stewart says watching the community grow stronger around breast cancer awareness fills her with pride after decades of silence surrounding the disease.

The more people know about breast cancer, the easier it becomes to cope and find the strength to keep fighting.