In 1996, Dr. Don McKenzie and Dr. Susan Harris in Vancouver, Canada challenged a commonly-held medical belief that strenuous upper body exercise in breast cancer patients could lead to lymphedema. They gathered a team of survivors for a six-month training program (with the goal of racing at a festival), and the very first Breast Cancer Dragon Boat team in the world, Abreast in a Boat, was born. Their goal was to prove that the repetitive motion of dragon boat paddling would dispel this theory and sure enough, these pioneering women completed their six-month program without a single case of lymphedema. In the process, they also learned that the social connections formed among teammates appeared beneficial to both the paddlers’ physical and mental health.

Since that time, Breast Cancer Dragon Boat teams have been started all over the world.  The teams compete locally, nationally and internationally.