A team of local breast cancer survivors is packing their bags and getting set to represent their friends, families, their local community, and the country, heading to the French Alps to compete in an international dragon boat competition.
The Dragonflyers are one of 25 teams from across the globe travelling to France for the International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission Dragon Boat Festival.
The local team consists entirely of breast cancer survivors from across Guelph, Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, and the surrounding areas, part of the 4,500 heading to the global competition.
“We’re looking forward to going and having a ton of fun; we’re looking forward to spending a lot of time together,” said Tanya Olsen, team member with the Dragonflyers and owner of Royal City Nursery in Guelph.
“This team is very much like a family. For much of us, it’s a found family.”
Olsen, like the others on the team and across the competition, is a breast cancer survivor. She’s one of many who battled or are still battling through what is the most diagnosed cancer worldwide, with as many as 32,700 women across Canada alone estimated to be diagnosed with the disease each year.
Photo of the Dragonflyers, a dragon boat team made up of local breast cancer survivors (The Dragonflyers)
“Transitioning to life after treatment wasn’t easy. The fear of recurrence and chronic fatigue lingered. While therapy, family, and friends helped me heal, being part of the Dragonflyers played a big role in this part of my journey,” said Olsen, who has been cancer-free since her double mastectomy and treatment 12 years ago.
“The paddling helped me feel stronger. Being surrounded by powerful, resilient, like-minded women helped heal my mind.”
The team is made up of women of a variety of ages, from one in her late twenties to another in her late seventies, which Olsen said is not just an inspiration for her, but can serve as an inspiration for others who are pushing through their own battles with cancer.
“It’s just unimaginable that at a point where I didn’t even know if I was going to survive, now I’m going to be, and all the women along with me, are going to be international athletes,” said team member Natalie Laing.
It comes as dragon boating began being seen as Canada’s national sport for women diagnosed with breast cancer back in 1996, when Dr. Don McKenzie, professor at the University of British Columbia, worked to challenge the belief that breast cancer patients should avoid upper body exercises.
Photo of the Dragonflyers, a dragon boat team made up of local breast cancer survivors (The Dragonflyers)
Dr. McKenzie helped to prove that activities, such as dragon boating, could help breast cancer patients heal and reduce the occurrence of lymphedema, improve range of motion, build strength, and support mental health.
Olsen said it’s become an avenue of hope and determination, regardless of age, for breast cancer survivors looking to find the most in their regular lives.
“It is so impressive and inspiring to me to be in the company of someone who is 20 or 30 years older, and still doing this,” Olsen stated.
“It’s not just a choice for life, but it’s also a choice for a very good life, a very active life, and for being able to live life on your own terms.”
Of course, pushes to attend and compete on the international stage come at a financial cost, with the Dragonflyers beginning fundraising efforts 2 years ago to help cover the costs of registration, shipping paddles and life jackets, on top of travel and accommodation costs for the 24 paddlers and their coach.
The team was able to raise over $15,000 through various community events, on top of a GoFundMe page, which has currently raised over $30,000 of a $94,000 goal, with the team just days away from the competition itself, which runs through the final week of August.
Photo for the Dragonflyers’ GoFundMe page as of Aug. 19, 2026 (GoFundMe)
“The community involvement has been impressive, inspiring; it’s been very uplifting,” Olsen mentioned.
“In many cases, on the day-to-day average, you just think you’re kind of going about your own thing. You don’t necessarily think of some of the impacts you’ve had on others, and it’s very humbling to see some of those impacts.”
The International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission Dragon Boat Festival is set to run from Aug. 24-30 at Lac du Bourget in Aix-les-Bains, France.
“There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes our individual tunnels are longer than others, and that’s okay,” Olsen stated.
“There is, not just a life, but a very good life after a cancer diagnosis.”
