Cancer, Casting and Camaraderie

Breast cancer patients find support, bliss at Fly Fishing Retreats.

By Chris Cocoles

Call it a momentary sense of normalcy, a much-needed distraction, a bonding experience, an opportunity to connect with nature. Therapy appears in various forms, shapes and sizes. And in a setting such as an Inland Northwest river or afloat on a trout-filled lake, fly rod in hand, surrounded by women who are part of the same sisterhood – those who have received a breast cancer diagnosis – the simplicity of waiting for a fish to devour the fly at the end of the line during a most complicated time in life is cathartic, if only for brief moments. Catching fish isn’t the only endgame. Hardly.

Cancer sucks! Or, as often-viral social media hashtags so eloquently put it: F*ckcancer! There’s no sugarcoating that when a weekend fly fishing retreat is over, it’s not going to change a diagnosis.
Casting for Recovery, the organization that offers these free fly fishing retreats from coast to coast for women with breast cancer, understands that a weekend getaway can’t make it all go away, but it can
provide a much-needed reprieve from the stress and worry that a cancer diagnosis brings. It can also offer perspective. “’The healing power of nature’ – a lot of our taglines have to do with that. And I believe that wholly,” says Jen Lofgren, Casting for Recovery senior regional program manager, who helps organize retreats in the Northwest and beyond.
“It’s just changing a thought, moving a muscle kind of thing. Get out there and allow yourself time to be in nature. I don’t know anyone who has ever said ’I feel worse’ after spending time in nature,” she adds. What began as a modest idea in Manchester, Vermont, in 1996, has turned into a nationwide nonprofit organization that has served roughly 11,000 breast cancer survivors and thrivers to date. Indeed, Casting for Recovery has found a niche that it can be proud of. “I know a lot of people who say, ’Oh, breast cancer; there’s a million resources for people with breast cancer.’ That’s true; there’s a lot of stuff out there. But nobody’s doing this. That’s what I hope keeps us relevant for years to come,” adds Lofgren, who also emphasizes the importance of reaching a more diverse audience. “I hope we can continue to do good work and serve people.

WANT TO KNOW how fly fishing and honoring breast cancer patients came together? A professional fly angler and a breast reconstruction surgeon, of course. Hence in 1996, the fly fisher, Gwenn Bogart (nee Perkins), and the surgeon, Dr. Benita Walton, were good friends who had an inspiration. “The surgeon said to the fishing guide friend, ‘Take me out and show me what fly fishing is about,’” Lofgren says. “And she soon realized that the gentle casting motion would be really good for patientswho had undergone radiation and reconstructive surgery.”
Gwenn was affiliated with the popular outdoor retail company Orvis, which, Lofgren says, “didn’t hurt,” as it offered up new avenues to mold more than a common bond between two women. “That was a good launching place, to have the support of Orvis, a giant in the fly fishing world, who agreed that it sounded like a great idea. In 1996, we started with two programs in Vermont, and then fast forward 28 years later and we will host 60 retreats across the country this year,” Lofgren says. “So it’s pretty awesome.”

Indeed, as you read this, 2024 retreats will either already be completed, in progress or being planned everywhere from Vermont to Montana (the current location of CfR’s national headquarters), and Alaska to Hawaii. That there is even more demand toadd more retreats to accommodate all the women interested in signing up is both great for outreach but also the reality of an abhorred disease. “Sadly, we don’t have any shortage of clients. We all know wives, daughters, mothers, sisters, friends who have had a breast cancer diagnosis. And so we have more women applying than we can accommodate; for every one woman we accept in our random selection process, we turn three away,” Lofgren says. “So there’s definitely more need than there is bandwidth, which is good in terms of keeping the doors open, but frankly, I think we’d all agree that we’d take a cure for the disease and find something else to do.”

CASTING FOR RECOVERY’S Northwest retreats serve women in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Oregon has twoprograms covering the state. The Southern Oregon program hosted a retreat in May in Elkton, on the banks of the Umpqua River, with Northern Oregon scheduled to host a fly fishing retreat in late October in Sisters. The annual Western Washington event is one of CfR’s longest-running retreats, dating back to 2000. Twenty-three gatherings have served more than 300 women during that time frame. This year’s get-together is set for September in Mazama. The Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho region hosts a retreat early this month in Harrison, between Coeur d’Alene and St. Maries. The same weekend – June 7-9 – a retreat will take place in Southwest Idaho at Living Waters Ranch in Challis.

While so much of the organization’s mission offers hope for better days ahead, the reality of the disease is reflected in a special program for the most serious of breast cancer cases. “Later this fall, the Southwest Idaho program will host their first retreat specifically for women with stage 4 cancer. Women with stage 4, or metastatic, breast cancer, which means the cancer has spread beyond the breast and lymph nodes to other parts of the body, have very different needs and concerns as compared with earlier stage survivors,” Lofgren says of the retreat, also in Challis. “(Casting for Recovery) piloted its first metastatic retreat in 2016, following participant feedback suggesting that women with metastatic breast cancer would benefit from their own retreat.” The organization also recognized some of the behind-the-scenes superstars from Oregon, Washington and Idaho during one of the most difficult times anyone can remember in the medical field. “Unsung heroes” does not begin to describe those who experienced the chaos and challenges Covid-19 inflicted on hospitals and clinics. “A specialty retreat that we piloted in 2022 was specifically for healthcare workers/first responders in the Pacific Northwest who worked in a healthcare/emergency response setting, hospital, medical center, outpatient or long-term care facility during Covid,” Lofgren says.
“We recognized that these workers were especially taxed during the pandemic and we felt a retreat of this nature was necessary to provide some much-needed relief from the stress of the pandemic
coupled with a breast cancer diagnosis. It was a powerful retreat, because women in these professions are often so busy caring for others that they don’t take the time to care for themselves,” she notes.

VOLUNTEERS HELP KEEP CfR churning along, generous individuals who give their time and talents to run these retreats. Each program is run by a team of volunteers, from program and participant coordinators, to wellness professionals, hospitality, fishing guides and photographers. Each program is
fully self-supporting and does all of its own fundraising throughout the year in order to host these retreats. CfR has over 1,800 volunteers nationwide! Lofgren was one.
A longtime angler, she was managing an Orvis store in Denver in 2012 when she heard about Casting For Recovery and wanted to help. As it turns out, someone representing the organization walked into
the store in search of donation options. “I said, ’I’d really like to get involved,’ and she said, ’Well, we need guides for this weekend.’ And that’s how it all started, and I just fell in love with it. I thought it was the most amazing thing,” says Lofgren, who after years of volunteer work took a full-time position with the nonprofit in 2018.
“And now what I get to do is work with all of the programs in the Western states, and as I jokingly like to say, the West is best! Seriously, though, I feel so incredibly fortunate to be able to do what I do.” Lofgren says her trips to Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula have been among the most memorable of the Western states’ retreats. “People go through a lot and it’s really eye-opening to see how strong people are, and not just the person diagnosed with cancer, but their families and support systems as well. It’s really impactful.”

“Many times, women are diagnosed with breast cancer, and they don’t have a chance to go through their emotional journey. They have surgery and follow-up treatments. However, they are left with their grief and feelings that need to be addressed,” she says. “This program and retreat allows them to meet with other women going through a similar journey. The emotional benefits of being with others in a similar situation while connecting to nature is very healing.
There is a lot of laughter, crying, hugging and support at the retreat. At the end of the weekend, the women have bonded for life.” Lofgren also cherishes the friendships she’s developed over time with both retreat participants and volunteers. One particular relationship she’s grateful for was with
Margaret Bell, who attended a retreat that Lofgren helped coordinate in Colorado. Margaret eventually became a volunteer herself. It’s that kind of pay-it-forward approach that has made this organization grow so well. Connections made over the weekend can become lifelong friendships.

Margaret wrote a recap of her retreat experience and one of the things she said was, “We show up for the weekend and we all have this common language – chemo, radiation, infusion – and as the weekend progresses we’ve got this new vernacular, like thing am a bobber and tippet, all these new words that are being incorporated into the weekend, an example of how these retreats allow women to think about something other than cancer, if only temporarily.”
Margaret passed away on October 10, 2022, but her spirit will remain with her friend forever. “I can say with absolute certainty that her quality of life greatly improved after she attended a retreat. She completely fell in love with the sport of fly fishing and volunteering for this organization became her passion. She recognized immediately that being in nature, fly fishing with new friends, was the one place that she did not think about how sick she was. As a result, she wanted to go as often as she could. Two weeks before she passed away, she was fishing in Montana. It meant everything to her,” Lofgren says. Fear of recurrence goes along with this disease that has affected so many people. F@ckcancer, indeed.

“We offer medical and emotional wellness sessions, where participants are given the opportunity to speak openly about their disease and ask questions in a safe space. They can even do so anonymously by putting a question into a basket about something they might not feel comfortable saying out loud or
discussing with their oncologist. A lot of times people have a hard time talking to their own family because they don’t want to scare them,” Lofgren says. “They just have to navigate some things, and being able to do that with other women who are in a similar situation allows them the freedom to do that.” During free time, many of the women gather with one another, and even with staff, to continue the conversations.

AS FOR THE fishing, many of the applicants have little, if any, angling background. Fly fishing experience is almost nonexistent, but it is also not a requirement. “The lion’s share of those attending our retreats have never picked up a fly rod before. And many of them have never tried traditional or conventional fishing either, or if they have, it was when they were a child. So we really spend a good part of the weekend teaching them,” Lofgren says. “They usually show up on a Friday afternoon and we get them outfitted in their gear right away, and that’s kind of a good icebreaker – trying on waders and posing for a grip and grin with a giant stuffed trout.”
“On Saturday morning, we do a basic introduction to the sport – equipment overview, knots and rigging, how to put a rod and reel together, explain the gear, accessories, rod weights, lines, tippet, accessories, etc.,” she continues. “And in the afternoon, we teach basic casting, wading safety, how to fight a fish and proper catch-and-release techniques. Some programs offer fly tying, so women get an opportunity to try that out, and maybe even catch a fish on a fly they tied!”

“And then Sunday comes – the most exciting day of the retreat, in my opinion. Each woman is paired with her own guideand the two of them spend four to five hours fishing. The laughter, smiles and
hooping and hollering that can be heard echoing across the water is the most beautiful sound you’ll ever hear.”
By the end of the weekend, Lofgren is often amazed and heartened by a newfound love for fishing and the outdoors. The day ends with lunch and a graduation ceremony, and then everyone says their goodbyes. Lofgren is pleased to note that the comment she hears most often from participants after the retreat is “I wish it had been longer. I didn’t want to leave; it should be a week long.” “That tells me we’re doing something right,” she says.

WHEN CfR’S FOUNDERS teamed up on the idea for the program, they soon discovered that at its core, the fly fishing premise was on its own a healing placebo for breast cancer patients. That is in the casting
motion of a fly rod and how it impacts and improves mobility. “That’s something that (Dr. Walton) noted right out of the gate, and that’s sort of the idea that was born about why fly fishing and breast cancer (are connected),” Lofgren explains. “A lot of people wondered just that. ’What does fly fishing have to do with breast cancer?’ And even if it didn’t have to do with mobility or movement, I think it would be just being outside and the soothing sounds of the water. And casting; I just love to cast. I find it really relaxing, just the rhythmic cadence of it And I do think it’s a great motion for mobility, even for myself.”

Lofgren notices that rookies often will grasp a fly rod really firmly, as if they’re handling a rattlesnake, and they quickly tire, but as soon as they start to relax and get the hang of the timing and the casting
motion, things start to come together for them. Lofgren has also found that women teaching other women to fly fish makes for an even smoother transition. She says that generally speaking, women are great casters because “A) They listen pretty well, and B) They don’t try to hammer the cast. It’s so much more of a finesse thing than a power thing – a gentle, even motion. And it’s a lot easier in my experience to teach a woman how to cast than it is a man, which I realize is a broad generalization, but many men think it’s a power stroke. But by and large, it’s a finesse thing.”
The retreats are also an opportunity to provide the women with a conduit between fishing and conservation. CfR has made it a point to preach the catch-and-release ethic at its retreats. “Conservation is so important when introducing women to the sport of fly fishing, and we want to do so in a responsible and sustainable fashion. There is a big movement right now to ‘Keep Fish Wet,’” she says, “and we recognize the importance of doing so, but with brand new anglers, they’re so excited that they often manhandle the fish. We understand we need to show them the right way to do it. Explain why it’s important to handle fish more carefully and to keep them in the water as much as possible. We also try to impart the importance of maintaining our natural resources so that they are there for generations to come. That, and being good stewards of the land that we’re using is important. We all have a responsibility.”

THREE WOMEN NAMED Michelle, Melissa and Carol discussed their experiences with Casting for Recovery programs as retreat participants. Michelle: “I had just had a double mastectomy and I wasn’t sure I would be able to participate in activities like this. I surprised myself and I am so grateful to have been able to participate in this retreat.
It was a life-changing experience for me.” Melissa: “After I was diagnosed with cancer, I lost my connection with nature. I forgot about the revitalizing effects it has. Being able to take deep, clean breaths, enjoy the brisk morning air and feel the sun on my face as the day warmed was so healing and
uplifting. Casting for Recovery reminded me how much I need nature to survive.”
Carol: “I had never been fly fishing. I’m a pretty outdoorsy person, but this was a new experience and I enjoyed the beauty of the river, the company, and I was surprised to catch so many fish and release them back. It was overwhelming at times to be in the company of all of these amazing women with breast cancer. The fishing made that possible.” NS

Editor’s note: Learn more about volunteering or donating to Casting for Recovery at the organization’s website, castingforrecovery.org.