“Despite the illness, life is beautiful. Sometimes we don’t remember this.” “It always seems like this thing has to happen to someone else, or that it doesn’t belong to you because you haven’t had any previous cases in your family. But it happens to the most diverse people, there is no age, there is no social situation. At any moment it can happen to anyone. This is why we need to go and get checked.”
Proud smile, all in pink uniforms, one after the other they row from the waters of the Arno to those outside the border, because the message of prevention has no limits. The ones who teach it are Astro Dragon Ladiesa group of women and friends, who after facing breast cancer have chosen how rehabilitation of the dragon boat. Supported by the coach and the helmsman, the members of the team, all of whom have breast surgery, train every week on the 20-seater boat to the rhythm of the drummer. The meeting point is on the banks of the river A Capraia and Limitewhere the group was born in 2012 on the initiative of Dr. Claudio Caponi, breast surgeon of the ASL Toscana Centro, of Astro (Association for Therapeutic Rehabilitative Support in Oncology), of the municipality of Capraia e Limite and of Canottieri Limite, which hosts the athletes in their facility at Mollaia.
(photo gonews.it)
Dragonesse of all ages, each brings with them their own experiences and experiences. We met them during “pink October“, month dedicated to breast cancer prevention which also sees many initiatives in the Empoli Valdelsa area, every year organized by Astro to raise awareness and to raise funds for, among other things, cutting-edge tools for female oncological pathologies for the San Giuseppe hospital in Empoli.
(photo gonews.it)
Astro Dragon Ladies, the story on video
On a sunny afternoon in mid-October, gonews.it attended a training session of the Astro Dragon Ladieswhich ended with celebration and laughter among the athletes. Because, as he says Antonella Beccarithe important thing is to share: “There is a sisterhood between all the women of Astro and the women from all over Italy that we meet at the races, when we see each other we hug each other, as if we were all sisters, because what we have been through we have inside our eyes, inside our hearts. Sisterhood and sharing are the most fundamental things.”
In races “we meet, we compete, but in the end there is always an important moment. The flower ceremony” he explains Francesca Patanè“we remember the women who didn’t make it. So there are no winners, no losers, at that moment all the teams unite the dragons, the drum roll goes in unison on the background music chosen by the hosting team, and yes they throw many colorful flowers into the water.”
The athletes are reminded that the group is open to new women who want to train by choosing this sport as rehabilitation: “You don’t have to know how to swim, you don’t have to be an athlete, but you have to know how to share because it’s true that it’s a sport but it’s also about sharing and unity to bring to all women the “importance of prevention. If there hadn’t been prevention, we wouldn’t be here.”
“I consider myself a very lucky, very lucky woman. Because I’m still here, I’m fine, I can do everything, I’ve regained the joy of living” he finally says Donata Ragionieri, the captain of the Astro Dragon Ladies“and then with this team, with these friends of mine, I’m fine. I really recommend it to everyone”.
Margherita Cecchin
Related news
Empoli
Actuality
October 23, 2024
The shareholders’ meeting of Alia Multiutility, meeting this morning in Prato at the Estra headquarters, with 96.12% of the share capital present, resolved, pursuant to article 13 of the statute, […]
Empolese Valdelsa
Actuality
October 23, 2024
In the municipalities of Castelfiorentino, Certaldo, Gambassi Terme, Montaione and Montespertoli, a code orange alert is expected for the hydrogeological-hydraulic risks of the minor network and hydraulic risks of the main network from today evening, Wednesday […]
Empoli
Actuality
October 23, 2024
The Union of Municipalities in the Empolese Valdelsa District joins the national mobilization day ‘Let’s stop the wars’, scheduled for Saturday 26 October in Florence. The procession is scheduled to start from Piazza Santa […]
All the news from Capraia and Limite
