Rowing to recovery: Healing journey begins with shared strokes

What began as a frightening common experience has brought together a group of residents who have achieved an amazing feat.

In 2004, Noreen Driscoll needed to do something to remember the friends she had lost to cancer and help others facing the disease. She’d held some memorials but decided to do more. She applied for and received a $5,000 Peloton Award for $5,000 and used that money to create Women Enduring Cancer, which transitioned into the Tri-State chapter of We Can Row.

Originally eight women signed up to row every week from May to October. The activity has been embraced by dozens of women over the past 20 years.

“There are so many benefits to rowing,” said Driscoll. “And being with people who are literally in the same boat with whom you can share stories is wonderful.”

Meeting with several of the members last week, the humorous banter was contagious; sometimes even irreverent. They can now joke about their diagnoses and as Juliet Moore said, she was originally turned down when she wanted to participate, but was told she didn’t qualify. “Then I had my first bout, and someone tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Now you qualify.’”

Over the years, the women, most of whom had never before rowed, have participated in several regattas, but on Oct. 18, they are heading to one of the most prestigious, and grueling of them all — the Head of the Charles in Boston.

The event is organized by the Survivor Rowing Network, coordinated with the Head of the Charles Regatta giving an opportunity for cancer survivors to row at the regatta in the Survivor Rowing Exhibition. This race is not restricted to women, so there are men among the eight who will be rowing the distance of 4,702 meters. Silvia Mueller contacted the network and received the information. The team applied and was accepted.

Donna DiMartino is proud of the group’s participation in regattas, saying “We have a lot of experience to give.”

Also rowing will be Ben Freund, the first male to join the group. He suggested to his cousin Jacolyn Brown that she consider becoming part of the team and she has since become an active member. “It’s been so much fun,” she said. “At first, I was scared out of my wits, but now I find it exhilarating. We don’t sit around and talk about cancer. We laugh a lot.”

When Freund was diagnosed, he was first tapped to help carry the boat from the boathouse to the water. “Now that they accept men, I broke the glass ceiling,” he said.

Everyone in the group made mention of Washinee Lake on which they row and the magical powers it seems to hold for them. Moore, who is not among those going to Boston, described the beauty of the lake when the sun is setting and an eagle is spotted flying overhead.

She became a bit teary, saying, “This is the most incredible support group. They are such an important part of my life. I think of who we are and what we’ve done. We are there for each other 24/7.

Pauline Moore, who also is not taking part, described the overwhelming feeling of coming down the path and first seeing the lake. “It’s so inviting and encouraging.”

The idol of the team is Cicily Hajek, who will be rowing at age 84. She is ranked third in the world of rowers in her age bracket. Her determination and enthusiasm are evident from the many races she’s been in.

Others who have been central to the program are Carl Jenter, who lost his wife to cancer and has been a loyal driver of the motorized launch that accompanies the boat out on the water, and Dick Curtis, who coached the women for years.

The team is deeply indebted to Salisbury School for providing use of the boathouse and shell. In a note of thanks by member Jean Anderson, she said, “This isn’t a team that any of us tried out for. We individually showed up with our scars and our fears and our dreams. And you have provided us with a few hours each week of tranquility from our lives, our jobs and from cancer. The lake is teaching us to be whole again, reminding us to take it all in. It is all too perfect — really. We are very grateful.”

Driscoll, who is on vacation, wrote a note to the team. “To say that I am proud is truly an understatement. It’s more like I am overwhelmed with what a tiny spark of memories of some of my dearly lost friends has grown into. But the loss of those special friends has generated something that was unfathomable as I was going through my grieving stage. It has become a group of friends, and family support members, who truly embody the spirit of survivorship. The strength that we all get from each other is what carries this group forward on the lake, and in our personal lives and friendships that have been formed through WCR.”

The team will be made up of DiMartino, Mueller, Michael Kelly, Freund, Brown, Shelly Whitbeck Pope, Hajek and Anderson. Anne Kelly is coach and coxswain.

Those interested in learning more about We Can Row can go to rowstrong.org.