Breast cancer survivors forge bond through dragon boat racing
Originally published in the Washington Post Local Living section. An alternate version was posted on shfwire.com.

The women on GoPink!DC stretch before getting in the boat. Before every race, they adorn the boat with a dragon head and tail, a tradition that originated in China. Photo by Emily Siner
The first time Gail Messier saw a dragon, she was lying on a thin, hard table in a hospital room. A machine hovered over her chest. It was huge and smooth and radiated over her body with an invisible heat that made her raw.
Chemotherapy, surgery and now radiation — her treatment hurt, but it was saving her life. It was like a dragon, she imagined. And she was a warrior, slaying her breast cancer with it.Read More »Breast cancer survivors forge bond through dragon boat racing