Sn Lake Maine, in Angers, the Pink Ladies are struggling hard. This group of women suffering from breast cancer, or having had one, trains with ardor for the great objective of the year: the Vogalonga, a nautical excursion open to all boats with oars or paddles, taking place every year in Venice. The 46e edition of this unranked regatta will be held on June 5th. The licensees of the Canoe-Kayak club of Angers will be at the start aboard two C9 (9-seater canoe), driven by the same ambition: “Getting to the End”, they say with one voice. 32 kilometers long, their Venetian ride should last between four and five hours.
Aged between 38 and 72, the Angevin “ladies in pink” have all attended the Western Cancer Institute (ICO). Some are in remission, others in recurrence, most have experienced the throes of chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The practice of canoeing is not innocent: the action of rowing is known to promote lymphatic circulation in bodies tested by heavy treatments or withdrawn on themselves after surgical interventions. Leaving Canada in the late 1990s, the concept of Pink Lady – to which the term “Dragon” is often attached, in reference to a boat, the dragon boat, favored for this type of collective exercise – has continued since , to spread to France.
The common denominator of these canoeists in fresh water, the “crab” is not a leitmotif for them. “We talk about it very little. But it goes without saying that if one of us has a lot on our minds, for example because we have just announced an operation to her, she will be able to pour out her pain on the others, even in the middle of navigation”, explains Cécile Bouteville, the youngest of the team, quality manager in the food industry. She was 34 when a screening test, which she thought harmless, revealed the presence of a tumor.
“Eat this alien”
For Venice, the Pink Ladies have gathered a budget of 30,000 euros. SMEs, craftsmen, local authorities, institutions and associations, such as the Women’s Committee 49, which locally organizes the “Pink October” operation, have contributed their share. “It’s not easy to knock on doors saying: ‘We’re sick and we want money’. We are not commercial at heart, says Cécile Guillard Jubeau, an audiovisual teacher who coordinates the squad of rowers. In-kind donations completed the kitty, such as sunglasses and anti-UV t-shirts, essential in this fiery spring.
You have 39.39% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.