Riding the Dragon

Cancer made me into an athlete.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

I came to Vermont in the 1970s to take my first job as a nurse at Central Vermont Medical Center. About 10 years ago, I joined Home Health & Hospice as an intake and referral nurse. Our team works together to welcome new patients and understand their needs so our clinicians can start caring for them.

I am a survivor of breast cancer – an experience I share with my mom and two sisters, who were also survivors. As I healed, I yearned to meet more people like me – people who understood the challenge I’d overcome and what it felt like to come out the other side.

At UVM Medical Center’s annual breast cancer conference, I learned of Dragonheart Vermont, a dragon boating organization based in Burlington that originally started with a team of breast cancer survivors. I was drawn to the sense of togetherness, so I gave it a try.

Joined by 20 ladies in a single dragon boat, we paddled back and forth along the Burlington waterfront, flanked by other dragon boats powering through Lake Champlain’s cool summer waters. All told, about 75 of the crew members were “sisters” – fellow breast cancer survivors. Another 125 were people who just love to paddle and work together.

In the dragon boat, I found camaraderie, forged by shared experience, banter and a drive to win. We paddle together and we paddle hard. In the boat or on the job, I love teamwork.

In the 10 years since my first paddle, I’ve become an athlete, an advocate and a national champion. Our boat won gold in three divisions at the national championship last year and our team recently returned from Ravenna, Italy, where we finished 6th at the Dragon Boat World Championships.

Many of our club members are in their 60s or 70s – our oldest sister is 92. None of us want to slow down. This sisterhood has given me newfound confidence in my body, and I’m healthier than ever. Even my doctor tells me: “Don’t stop paddling!” 

Mary Cicaloni, RN, is an intake and referral nurse at Home Health & Hospice, where she has worked for 10 years.