Myrtle Beach woman, cancer survivor preps for dragon boat races in Australia

Barbara Moyer of Myrtle Beach is preparing for an exciting adventure in Adelaide, Australia that begins with paddling a dragon boat in the World Championship Dragon Boat races.

“We have been training so hard,” she said on Monday while on her way to Charleston to train with a team of breast cancer survivors known as the Paddles and Pearls.

“I feel very grateful that I’m able to paddle with such a good team,” she said

She was on the team when it won the gold medal at the National Dragon Boat Championships in Chicago in July, qualifying to compete in the World Championships. Moyer was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and at her first support group meeting, the people there were talking about getting a dragon boat. When Dragon Boat at the Beach became a reality, she started paddling with the cancer survivors there, who have been coached by Beans Kelly for several years now.

Kelly and others involved with Dragon Boat at the Beach held a golf tournament fundraiser to help Moyer and her Charleston team with expenses.

Athletes from around the world will be competing in the event, which has a special division for breast cancer survivors. Many survivors of all kinds of cancers have joined the thousands of athletes who make up the crews of dragon boats. Moyer said the Charleston team is always looking for festivals that have divisions for cancer survivors.

Moyer, 60, said she has always been on some kind of a team, but before going to the support group, had never thought about being on a team of breast cancer survivors.

She leaves for Australia on March 26. The Paddles and Pearls crew will compete on April 1, 2 and 3. When the races are over, Moyer plans to visit her brother, who lives in Hong Kong, and take a trip to Taiwan with him.

Moyer said dragon boaters at the beach, who are all cancer survivors, and in Charleston have been a great inspiration to her. It is good to be able to set goals and have something to look forward to, she said.

She said she also thinks it is good for the rest of the family to know that their loved one has something positive in their life.

“It’s just so excellent to have a support group of some kind to help you through the tough time,” she said. “The camaraderie, the group spirit and the support that you get is truly amazing.”

By paddling with the Myrtle Beach and Charleston teams, Moyer “just doubles up on the fun,” she said.

The Paddles and Pearls team is coached by Noreen Powers. The team going to Australia includes 24 ladies. Two of them will be alternates. Twenty will paddle. A steersman will be in the back and a drummer in the front.

In 2014, Moyer paddled in the International Breast Cancer Festival in Sarasota, Fla.

Over 2,000 ladies were there, and they all wore pink shirts. “It was like a sea of pink,” she said.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 1:00 AM with the headline "Myrtle Beach woman, cancer survivor preps for dragon boat races in Australia."