| MARCH 18, 2009 – The Women’s Outdoor Wire, Reel Angels by Lisa Metheny |
Text
and photography by Lisa Metheny
Reprinted with permission "Family Fish
and Game Magazine"
Casting for Recovery
fly fishing retreats allow women who have experienced breast cancer to
focus on wellness. |
Therapy comes from many
places and in many forms. For millions of people, therapy can come from life's
simplest moments. Moments such as standing waist deep in cool, tranquil waters
under a cloudless sky trying to entice a rainbow trout with a hand-tied fly.
Sometimes, therapy comes from the mist of water spraying off the reel as your
line sings as you battle a fish that could not resist the temptation of a tiny
tuft of dove feathers meticulously threaded around a teeny hook. Therapy from
fly-fishing is nothing new. Many have enjoyed this type of therapy for years,
but now, thanks to the program Casting for Recovery (CFR), many women across the
country who have experienced breast cancer are discovering the therapeutic
benefits of fly-fishing.
Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer as
the leading causes of cancer deaths in women. One out of every eight women who
lives to be at least 85 years of age will develop breast cancer. Nearly 2.4
million women in the United States have been treated for, or are living with the
disease. But there is some good news. Breast cancer, if caught early, can be
treated, and today, many women call themselves breast cancer survivors because
of early detection. The other good news is that there are organizations such as
CFR that offer help and understanding.
Casting for Recovery© was founded
in 1996 and is a national non-profit support and educational organization that
uses the sport of fly-fishing as encouragement for women who have had, or have
breast cancer as a form of physical and mental therapy.
What has
made CFR so successful and why are so many women with this disease retreating to
the water with a fly rod in hand? Perhaps it is the gentle casting techniques of
fly-fishing that help stretch the joint and soft-tissue areas that may have been
affected by radiation or surgery. Or it could be the gentle motion of casting
the fly-rod which naturally aids in relieving the stress that many of the
participants have had to endure during their treatments. It might also be the
fact that CFR events allow women to focus on healing through counseling provided
by medical and psychosocial professionals. Whatever the reason, many women have
greatly benefited from sharing the weekend with other ladies that share similar
experiences with cancer and offer understanding that only others who have
experienced or are experiencing breast cancer can understand. One participant
summed it up: "I felt more sisterhood in two and a half days than I had growing
up with five biological sisters, and that weekend was EXACTLY what my weary soul
needed. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" (2008 CFR reunion-participant)
In 2008, CFR hosted 266 retreats that served nearly 3,500 women across
the country. CFR retreats have found tremendous success due to the dedication of
over 800 volunteers from the medical and fly-fishing community. Breast cancer
medical expert Dr. Susan Love says that, "as a fly fisherwoman, fly tier and
breast cancer expert, I heartily support Casting for Recovery as one of the best
programs for breast cancer survivors that I know."
As with any non
profit organization, corporate sponsorship is vital to help fund the
organization's mission. One such corporation that has taken a lead role in
helping CFR is Orvis. "I know that I speak for many of our associates when I say
that Orvis is immensely proud of the founding role it played in supporting
Casting for Recovery" states CEO Perk Perkins. However, to successfully maintain
and grow such an organization it also takes the help of hundreds of volunteers
who give selflessly of their time and knowledge of fly-fishing to the
participants.
Barb Simpson, State Coordinator for Indiana and a
life-long fly-fishing woman, first got involved in 2005. "I did my first retreat
and I witnessed one miracle after another, it has been simply amazing. I knew
instantly that I had to become a part of this organization." In addition to
positions such as Barb's, another vital key in the recipe of success for CFR has
been the use of "River Helpers," the title given to volunteers that are assigned
to help guide each CFR participant during the actual fly-fishing portion of
their retreats.
One such volunteer is Patti Beasley of Indiana. A
passionate angler that has devoted her entire life to teaching others about the
art of fly-fishing and the founding member of Indianapolis Reel-Women, a group
created for ladies to learn from each other about fly-fishing, and has now grown
to include Reel-Men of Indianapolis, Patti's passion for fly-fishing eventually
led her to become involved as a River Helper for CFR. "I had no idea what impact
CFR had on women who attend the retreat. After witnessing the positive effects
of the retreat I decided to do more. I designed a trout tournament for our club
that would allow us to fish for a purpose. That purpose was to raise money so
that more Indiana women could potentially have the opportunity to attend such a
retreat at no expense to them. In 2007, Reel Women-Reel Men raised $3,400 and
this year we raised $6,500.
Patti, Barb, and hundreds of other "Reel
Angels" work tirelessly to promote CFR, and are making a reel difference in the
lives of women affected by breast cancer. Perhaps the next time you slip into
your chest waders, or visit your favorite fly-fishing retailer, you will think
about the mission of Casting for Recovery as they continue to focus on "wellness
rather than illness" one cast at a time.
To learn more about Casting for
Recovery and how you can become involved, visit them online at
www.castingforrecovery.org
For more information on the Indianapolis
Reel-Women/Reel-Men visit
http://www.freewebs.com/reelwomen/flycastinglessons.htm
|
MARCH, 2009 - Le Pêcheur Belge - Mars 2009, Portrait Kate Blubaugh
|
 read more |
|
|
Sign up for email or have a question? click
here
rev
July 14, 2010
©2009 International Womens Fly Fishers/ All rights reserved. The
textual, graphic, audio, and audiovisual material in this site is protected by United
States copyright law and international treaties. You may not copy, distribute, or use
these materials except as necessary for your personal, non-commercial use. |
