The Rose Regatta Dragon Boat Festival continues with its advocacy after a decade

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In 2018, the Rose Regatta Dragon Boat Festival celebrated its 10th year advocating breast cancer awareness. The annual dragon boat race is loved and supported by many who consider the cause dear to their hearts. The Rose Regatta benefits the R.E.D. (Responsible Early Detection) Rose Program that promotes early detection for breast cancer. Stacey Tokunaga>Stacey Tokunaga.

In the past, doctors prevented breast cancer patients from doing strenuous workouts and engaging in sports such as dragon boat racing after undergoing surgery. Their reasoning behind this is that working out too hard might cause swelling of the lymph nodes in the upper arms or lymphedema. However, such thinking was proven incorrect by Dr. Donald McKenzie of the University of British Columbia. Stacey Tokunaga.

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Dr. McKenzie worked with a group of breast cancer survivors from British Columbia, training them for a dragon boat race. The women gained upper body strength through the exercise, showing no signs of lymphedema. Stacey Tokunaga.

The Rose Regatta Dragon Boat Festival is attended by dragon boat teams to raise funds for mammograms, biopsies, ultrasounds, and breast cancer diagnoses. Corporate donations collected from Southern Nevada go to Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican’s Red Rose Program. The rest of the money collected is used to provide support for patients throughout their treatments to shoulder rents, groceries, transportation, and utilities. Women who have conquered breast cancer share their resources to help those going through it. For Rose Regatta participants, spreading awareness for early detection should be everyone’s business. Stacey Tokunaga.