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The retreat Graham attended in May 2009 was organized by the national nonprofit group Casting for Recovery, which aims to help women cope with breast cancer through counseling, education and fly fishing.
Why fly fishing? The relaxing recreational activity involves a gentle, fluid motion ideal for improving mobility and range of motion in the arms and shoulders of women who have undergone surgery for breast cancer.
Reconstructive plastic surgeon and psychiatrist Dr. Benita Walton of Stockbridge, Mass., co-founded Casting for Recovery with her friend, Gwenn Perkins, a fly fishing instructor from Manchester, Vt., in 1996. The two started talking and realized fly fishing might benefit women struggling with breast cancer.
"The program is constructed so you can get outside, you're doing something physical," Walton said. "It doesn't matter whether you catch a fish or not. ... You do get a chance to interact with women who have gone through the same problems -- both physically and psychiatrically."
The Casting retreats are run by volunteers that include psychotherapists, health care professionals and fly fishing instructors. During these weekends, women not only learn to fly fish but alsoparticipate in group discussions and sometimes fun activities such as talent contests, crafts or just sitting around a campfire.
"It was like camp for breast cancer survivors," Graham said. "It helped me overcome a lot of depression. ... It was inspiring."
Graham has kept in touch through e-mail with some of the women she met at the retreat, and they had a reunion in November -- another getaway filled with support, laughter and even pajama parties.
HOME IN THE LOWCOUNTRY
A Bluffton couple recently decided to offer that same kind of experience to women in the Lowcountry. After speaking to a friend who is on the national board for Casting, Larry and Judith Hughes were so touched they wanted to start a program locally. The couple made a two-year commitment, were sanctioned by the national board at the beginning of this year and have been working on it ever since. The Hughes' local Casting for Recovery program -- The Lowcountry Casters -- will serve Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton and Allendale counties as well as Chatham, Effingham and Bryan counties in Georgia.
"Every day there's about 500 women in this country diagnosed with breast cancer," Larry said. "So we all know somebody who is going through it or has been through it. ... It sure touches everybody."
FISHING FOR HOPE
Fly fishing is not just a form of exercise for these women. It's also used as a metaphor for hope.
Dr. Virginia Herrmann, professor of surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina and medical director of the Breast Health Center at Hilton Head Hospital, said learning a new skill such as fly fishing builds confidence and gives the women hope.
"When you fish, you hope you're going to catch that fish, so it's sort of symbolic," Herrmann said. "They know they can conquer breast cancer, they know they can get through the treatment, and now they can do something they never thought they would do (fly fish)."
More than 4,000 women have participated in Casting for Recovery retreats since its inception. Some of them might never have wanted to learn to fly fish, but the experts agree -- the exercise, the fresh air and the bond the women form over the weekend can be rejuvenating and inspiring to those dealing with such a life-altering condition.
"Casting for Recovery heals you inside somehow," Graham said. "Being around all these girls and being around the caring staff, it just heals you."
