Proud to Be From Pittsburgh

Proud to be from Pittsburgh: Pink Steel

PITTSBURGH — Dragon boat racing is one of the fastest-growing water sports in the world, and one group of women powering them on Pittsburgh’s rivers have an extra drive to keep them going.

The group is called Pink Steel. Each paddler is a breast cancer survivor. They get strength and courage from each other and from the thrill of traveling over the waters in their fierce dragon boat.

“I just got hooked. It was wonderful,” cancer survivor and Pink Steel rower Darlene Westfall said.

Westfall is a 19-year survivor of breast cancer who has battled cellulitis, a complication of her surgery.

“It's really good for lymphedema. It keeps the circulation going,” she said. “I haven't been in the hospital since I started boating.”

Lynne Franks-Meinert serves as the executive director of the Steel City Dragon Boat Association.

“Research shows that it reduces recurrences, and it reduces lymphedema for breast cancer survivors,” she said.

Franks-Meinert started the Pink Steel team in 2005 to honor a friend who had died from breast cancer.  Since then, the group has grown from three rowers to 48.

“For survivors in particular, this is one place where they're normal people,” Franks-Meinert said. “No one is sitting around crying about anything. Everyone's celebrating life, moving forward, getting stronger and the energy is intense.”

“When you get out here, you think of nothing. It's great exercise for the body and good for the mind,” Westfall said.

The Pink Steel ladies can be seen in action when the Steel City Dragons host Pittsburgh’s first Dragon Boat Festival in North Park on Sept. 24. The festival will include a survivor village, offering resources for patients and their families.

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to learn more about the event and the Steel City Dragon Boat Association.