Materia Medica Malaysiana

Cancer Survivors To Take On Aussies In Boat Race

A group of gutsy Malaysian women, all survivors of breast cancer, would take on the team from Adelaide Survivors Abreast Inc (ASAI) in a dragon boat race in Penang this Sunday.
A local team from the breast cancer welfare association of Federal Territory and Selangor, which has 400 members, has been undergoing training for the event over the last four months.
Association committee member Barbara Khoo said the purpose of the race was to tell Malaysians that cancer patients could lead active lives even after being struck by the deadly disease.
"Each team could have 10 paddlers, one stirrer and one drummer in the race. This is our first competitive outing," she said.
She told reporters at a tea reception hosted by Australian High Commissioner James Wise at his residence to vote for the team.
Khoo said the association hoped to make this event an annual affair but sponsors were hard to come by.
Meanwhile, ASAI spokeswoman Lynn Hill said ASAI came in contact with the association last year and had been working with them.
"We are on our way to Vancouver, Canada to participate in a boat race competition and we felt it would be nice to compete with the Malaysian ladies first," she added.