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On Sunday 7 December, the Busting with Life dragon boat team - made up of paddlers who have experienced breast cancer - took part in the Auckland Dragon Boat Association’s inaugural Christmas Super10 event. Super10 means fast-paced, high-energy racing with boats of just 10 paddlers, and the day delivered plenty of excitement.
Hormone receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer is the most common type in New Zealand, accounting for about 75% of cases. The cancer cells in tumours of this type have an abundance of receptors for the hormones oestrogen (ER+) and/or progesterone (PR+), meaning that their proliferation is driven by these hormones.
Depending on the stage and grade of the cancer, HR+ breast cancer treatment usually begins with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, followed by hormone therapy to block the effects of oestrogen and/or progesterone on any remaining cancer cells. The goal of hormone therapy is to prevent the breast cancer from spreading or returning.
Joining the Busting With Life breast cancer survivor dragon boat team in September at the start of the 2024/2025 season, 'newbie' Rebecca saw her health and fitness leap ahead.
“During the paddling season I enjoyed getting out onto the water two or three times a week, as well as fellowship and laughs with a caring and supportive group of women.”
Breast Cancer Support now offers two monthly Zoom support groups.
‘Cuppa and a Chat’ provides a confidential peer-led space for giving and receiving support. The group welcomes anyone at any stage of their lived experience of breast cancer and meets at 11am and 7pm on the last Tuesday of the month. The groups are led by experienced facilitators Liz Pennington (BCS Chair) and Jane Bissell (BCS National Coordinator).
The new Whānau Support Group will meet on Monday 7 July at 6pm, and then monthly on the first Monday at 6pm, supporting those caring for immediate/extended whānau members, and close friends experiencing breast cancer. The group is led by Rebecca Pohe, a qualified mediator with extensive experience working alongside family/ whānau and community groups.
Jan Haworth is a mindfulness teacher who’s been through cancer herself. She already offers MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) to people with cancer, and is now exploring whether there’s value in developing a version that’s more specifically designed to reflect the emotional and psychological needs of people experiencing cancer.
She’s speaking with as many people as possible – including those living with and recovering from cancer, their whānau, and the nurses and specialists who support them – to better understand people’s experiences of emotional and psychological support: what’s currently available, whether it’s meeting the need, and whether there are any gaps or areas where more support might be needed.
Terrier Race Against Time (a charity set up to provide support to all people diagnosed with breast cancer in the Tairawhiti area) was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to sell PYO Sunflowers in February 2025. Geordie and Caroline Witters (longtime supporters of our charity) have planted sunflowers in between their young citrus trees for four years running and allow us to set up a stall to sell them for $3 per stem. It’s such a fun day for families to come and roam around the sunflowers, take photos and take a few sunflowers home with them! We made $6500 over the two weekends, which is a great help towards our packs that we provide to every person with breast cancer upon diagnosis.
We're thrilled to announce the launch of the Kenzie's Gift "Grief Podcast”.
This heartfelt podcast is for rangatahi (young people), by rangatahi who have experienced the death of a significant loved one. Hosted by the inspiring Sasha Douglas, who first connected with Kenzie's Gift after her mum died of breast cancer when she was only 17. The podcast creates a compassionate space for young people across Aotearoa to share their stories.
Sasha and her guests dive into:
• the challenges of grief
• what helps (and what doesn't)
• how sharing stories can make grief feel less lonely
“As long as you are breathing, there is more that is right with you, than wrong with you.” – Jon Kabat Zinn
I was so sure the lump I found was nothing that I went to the hospital alone for my results. At 36, healthy, and a mum to a busy toddler, cancer was something that happened to other people—definitely not me. When the doctor said, ‘You have breast cancer,’ I actually laughed and said, ‘You’re joking'. It turns out breast cancer surgeons don't tend to joke about these things, and that I had a triple negative, grade 3 cancer that had reached my lymph nodes.
With 7 weeks training under our belts, Auckland’s Busting With Life headed to Lake Rotoroa, Hamilton to participate in the Waikato Dragon Boating and Waka Ama Association Super 12 regatta. This annual, out-of-region event is the first in the regatta calendar for the team. The regatta is always a fun day (in spite of the early start) and this year did not disappoint.
Though the weather on arrival brought back memories of a very wet, rainy event the year before (not helped by our leaky gazebo - which thankfully we have now replaced!), the sun did make its way out to give us a gorgeous day for paddling. The atmosphere was buzzing, the commentators awesome, and the organizers did a great job keeping the racing on time. Well done Waikato.
