As the sun set over Lake Fairview in Orlando, a group of breast cancer survivors gathered to row with purpose as part of the Warriors on Water dragon boat team.
Every member of the team is a breast cancer survivor, including Jamie Davis, who was diagnosed with triple-negative, stage 3 breast cancer at 38 years old while working as a firefighter paramedic for the city of Cocoa.
“I had five surgeries. I did 16 rounds of chemo, 33 rounds of radiation immunotherapy, and, you know, a lot of tears,” Davis said.
Surviving cancer meant making significant changes in her life.
“It was a big transition going from, being that that being my home and my family. And then basically having that cut off out of nowhere and being left with, what do I do now?” she said.
Davis found a new family among the Warriors on Water, a team of women who have bonded beyond their cancer journeys.
Beth Schumacher, one of the original members who has been with the team since 2009, described the teamwork involved in dragon boat rowing.
“We have ten seats, two to the seat, and we have to go in and out at the same time. It’s teamwork,” Schumacher said.
The team also serves the community by supporting women currently battling cancer.
“It could be financial. It could be taking them somewhere. It could be just having them right on the boat,” Schumacher said.
On the water, the team inspires others by showing what life can look like after cancer.
“We have our youngest at 40, which was diagnosed beforehand, which is really early, and then we have a 79-year-old who went to France,” Schumacher said.
The team recently returned from an international competition in France.
“There was a sea of pink, but there was a sisterhood that you just felt the energy and the love. I think we broke into tears several times,” Schumacher said. “And then we ended up 17 out of 145 teams.”
When asked what advice she would give to women currently battling cancer, Davis shared a message of hope.
“Don’t give up. Keep going, keep fighting. And you have a family. Maybe, you just haven’t found it yet,” she said.
Another team member reflected on the beauty and support they’ve found through rowing.
“You push away and you are in a zone of splendor, beauty. We see sunsets when we get off the water. I mean, there are a few of us that ones that sit close to me. We go, what a gift. So not what we would want to do. But now that we’re in that boat, literally, it’s the best way to have a support team and sisterhood,” she said.