Fly-Fishing Retreat Helps Breast Cancer Survivors

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Fly-Fishing Retreat Helps Breast Cancer Survivors Find Strength, Support ~ Casting Lines And Letting Worries Slip Away

August 9, 2010

WEST CORNWALL — Barbara Scott's hair fell out in handfuls, and yet she could not bring herself to talk to family members about the cancer in her breast. The side effects from radiation therapy stiffened her hands and made her fingers swell. "I couldn't button my shirt or tie my own shoes," said Scott, 55. But still she could not talk with family members about the cancer in her breast.

Five years after being diagnosed with breast cancer, Scott, of Windsor, told her story of silence and survival Sunday to 13 women she'd known for less than three days, and discovered that her reticence wasn't "crazy" or "strange."

"I found out that none of us talked to our families about it, especially our mates," said Scott, who attended the Connecticut Casting for Recovery retreat at the Trinity Conference Center in West Cornwall. The 2 1/2-day retreat helps women with breast cancer recover their physical strength — and often their spirits — through fireside chats, counseling and fly-fishing.

"You can do as much or as little with fly-fishing as you want," said Kate Fox, the group's national program director. "The most important thing is the bonding of the women here," said Fox, who helped organize the West Cornwall retreat.

"Many women who attend have never been part of a breast cancer support group," Fox said. "So many will say, 'I'm done with treatment. I'm not sick anymore. I want to move on,' but they haven't dealt with issues of sexuality or family or anxiety. This gives them a chance to finally talk about these things and ask questions. We have medical experts and counselors on hand to help."

In the mid-1990s, Dr. Benita Walton, a breast reconstructive surgeon and an avid fly fisherman, realized that the physical motion of casting is similar to the therapeutic exercises intended to rebuild the muscles lost to breast cancer surgery. Teach a breast cancer survivor to fly-fish and you give her the means to empower herself physically and emotionally.

In 1996, Walton founded Casting for Recovery. Since then, the national nonprofit organization based in Manchester, Vt., has staged retreats for more than 4,500 breast cancer survivors.

Casting for Recovery organizes annual catch-and-release fly-fishing retreats in 30 states, including Connecticut. It hopes to expand its reach and retreats to all 50 states. "We have three applications for every one spot," Fox said. "Every day 500 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. There's a huge need."

This year, employees of The Hartford in Simsbury and Windsor raised $13,000 of the $15,000 required to cover the cost of a retreat, which is free to the 14 breast cancer survivors who attend. The Hartford has been the organization's lead sponsor since 2006.

Nearby, Jennifer Slade of West Granby, who was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago, caught three bass. "My husband will be thrilled," said Slade, 38, the mother of two small children. "I learned we all have so many of the same worries. If I have a pain in my leg, I think it's bone cancer. I'm not alone in thinking that!"

A half-dozen men joined the group to help hone the women's casting skills.

"I'm a fly fisherman and this is an opportunity to give back," said Stephan Prucnal of Marlborough. Sunday marked his first stint as a volunteer. "I can hardly wait to come back next year," said Prucnal, 53, whose mother-in-law had breast cancer.

Deborah Livingston of Haddam stood thigh-deep in the Housatonic River Sunday and cast her line into the hazel-colored waters. "In the last three hours of this event, I didn't think about cancer once," said Livingston. "I haven't been able to say that for a long time."

For more information, go to castingforrecovery.org

steamstomper · Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2010 8:16 pm Post subject:

This is a great group that deserves all the positive attention it can receive! I am trying to talk my wife and sister on going on a retreat. They are both unfortunately eligible.