“We endure and flourish.” -ROW Member
Treating breast cancer is time-consuming and costly, with women often enduring the traumas of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or a specific combination of all three. Though necessary, these treatments can leave women with severe complications—some of which are incurable—including lymphedema, obesity, depression, and poor quality of life. At the same time, not all scars are physical, and this same experience can give rise to lingering fears of recurrence and questions about how to identify with new labels like “patient” or “survivor.”
This reality is what makes organizations like Recovery on Water (ROW) so important.
ROW empowers breast cancer patients and survivors to become active in their recovery while gaining support from fellow survivors.
Numerous studies continue to prove that physical activity has immensely positive effects for those undergoing treatment for breast cancer, and ROW helps members increase their weekly activity by up to 61 percent. Participation in our programs can help engaged members achieve the following:
Significant reduction in fatigue and symptoms of depression
Improvements in lymphedema, bone mineral density, body mass index, and quality of life
Can reduce the risk of recurrence by up to 50 percent
Our team is living proof that these studies are spot-on.
Data collected from our athletes suggests that ROW has significantly increased team members’ quality of life in a variety of ways. Here’s what our members have had to say about ROW:
95% say they feel like part of a community and less alone
97% say we have helped in their efforts to maintain a healthy body weight
100% would (and do) recommend ROW to other patients and survivors of breast cancer
“In many ways, physically and mentally, I have found strength I didn’t know I had. Even when I’m feeling challenged and sometimes disappointed in my performance, I know that my teammates and coaches have my back and that I will always be a member of this family.”
