When breast cancer returned to Doreen Bowen-Colthurst, she got the help she needed to patch together her fund-raising quilt.
And when she sought a place to help put back together the pieces of her life while recovering from cancer treatments, the Rotary Hospice House was there for her.
On Tuesday, Bowen-Colthurst handed over a $2,004 payback to the Hospice House for the kindness and generosity staff offered in her time of recovery -- money raised in the NorthBreast Passage Dragon Boat team's Hope Paddles Up quilt raffle.
"I started making it in May and I got sick, and my fellow quilters took over, and they did a beautiful job on it," said Bowen-Colthurst. "It was my team's choice [to donate to the hospice]. They organized the sale and everything because I was sick and not around.
"I was at the hospice for a short term after radiation, before I started chemo. At the time I couldn't walk and that certainly helped with the pain. They are wonderful nurses and wonderful caregivers. It made me stronger and definitely put me on the road to recovery."
During her time at the hospice, Bowen-Colthurst's son and daughter, who live in Calgary, were able to bring their grandchildren for overnight stays in the facility's family room.
"It's a beautiful setting there, and I could have my window open all night, which you can't do at the hospital," said Bowen-Colthurst.
The 67-year-old Prince George woman was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, which required a mastectomy. She was clear of the disease until last August, when her cancer metastasized. Bowen-Colthurst went to Vancouver for five days of radiation treatments, then had to endure six rounds of chemotherapy, which ended in December. While gaining back her strength, her sister Shannon Fiset, Loretta Bretecher, Linda Olson and Georgina Downey joined forces to finish off the quilt. Sherylee Millar of Prince George bought the winning ticket.
"We do try to give back to the community and this is just one of the things we thought we'd do this year," said Enid Bond, the NorthBreast Passage dragon boat drummer.
The Hospice House is better known for the palliative care it offers dying patients. The 10-bed facility at 3089 Clapperton St. also provides a short-term transition home for people diagnosed with terminal diseases, as well as respite care for patients whose care-providers need a break or holiday.
"The Number 1 reason people come in for a short time is for relief from their pain or other symptoms," said Donalda Carson, the Rotary Hospice House executive director. "When you're discharged from hospital, you can come to hospice and get things organized at home. It might mean they get a bed set up at home or arrange for home care or arrange for somebody to provide care for them."
NorthBreast Passage team is now preparing for the new season with dryland training and will begin its pool practice sessions in March at the Four Seasons Pool.
They've got a tough act to follow once the racing begins in the summer, having won the 2011 Victoria Dragon Boat Festival Breast Cancer Survivor Challenge, a six-team, 500-metre race. The year before that, with Bowen-Colthurst supplying her paddling power, they won a bronze medal in Penticton.
Breast cancer survivors who would like to join the NorthBreast Passage team can call 250-563-0839. The team will be hosting a pub-night fundraiser on April 14 at the Westwood Sports Pub.
