Casting for Recovery retreat offers support, inspiration for survivors of breast cancer

Most have not fished before, or at least, never tried to fly fish, which requires a careful cast and a great deal of patience.

“It’s beautiful to watch,” said Jackie Bradley. “With someone who really knows what they’re doing, it’s gorgeous.”

Many anglers say fishing is never entirely about the fish, or even mostly about catching one. This time, the fish were clearly not the primary concern.

“You hope someone catches one, but it’s not about that,” Bradley said.

This was part of a Casting for Recovery retreat weekend. The 14 women participating, each spread along the bank in a pair of waders, have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

October has been designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, part of an annual campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer and encourages screenings.

Bradley, who lives in the Eldora section of Dennis Township, and Gerri Roscigno, of the Ocean View section, had once been “Wave-to neighbors,” as Roscigno put it. That was before they each participated in another Casting for Recovery retreat near Tuckerton in Ocean County.

“We had such a wonderful time. We said we have got to bring this to South Jersey,” Roscigno said. Similar events are held throughout the country, as part of a national organization. The only other event in New Jersey is now held in Warren County.

“It’s open to women of all ages, and in all stages of recovery,” Bradley said. Some may have been treated years, or decades earlier, while others are still in treatment. Bradley mentioned one woman required oxygen. She was able to get to the water and fly fish.

She spoke about one event in which another woman said she was originally diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 17. That woman was now a retired teacher.

For Bradley, that was an important lesson.

“I thought to myself, this isn’t a death sentence,” she said. She and other breast cancer patients can have long, full lives after diagnosis.

The organizers say the gentle motion of casting for fly fishing is good physical therapy for those who have had surgery or radiation as part of breast cancer treatment, improving the range of motion in the upper body. The time spent outdoors can be just as important. You can’t rush fly fishing.

“It can also help in the reduction of painful lymphedema that some people experience after surgery,” Bradley said.

Participation is capped at 14 people, chosen by a lottery. They spent the weekend at the Sisters of Mercy vacation house in Sea Isle City. All expenses are covered. The participating women do not pay anything for the weekend, which takes place once a year.

“We spend a lot of time fundraising,” Bradley said.

Over the two-and-a-half day program, the women heard from a social worker who specializes in breast cancer survivors and an expert in reconstructive surgery. But the most important part is the connections the participants make among themselves, Bradley and Roscigno said.

“The weekend can be life changing for survivors as they make friends who truly understand the emotions and physical demands of the breast cancer diagnosis,” Bradley said. “Most of our past participants have never been to a support group and found this opportunity very beneficial to their recovery.”

For the fly fishing portion, each woman is accompanied by a fishing coach, or a “river buddy,” who works with them on fly fishing.

For Kathie Brennan of Mays Landing, her introduction to fly fishing was at one of the retreats. Now she is a board member of the South Jersey Coastal Fly Anglers organization, which meets regularly at the Ocean City Library and provides the fly fishing coaches.

She had been diagnosed in 2016. She described her participation in a Casting for Recovery retreat as deeply emotional, introducing her to other women and providing tools not only for her recover, but also for her life.

“It can be very life changing,” she said.

Down by the water, one of the women brings in a bass, drawing cheers from around the lake. The fishing is catch and release, and the fish was quickly returned to the water.

Meanwhile, April Ellerbe of Williamstown in Gloucester County worked on her cast, with help from Robert Hutchinson of Egg Harbor Township. She said she felt lucky to participate in the weekend retreat, and that it had been very peaceful.

That morning, she said, the women gathered on the beach for a ceremony. Each picked up a stone, and thought about putting their worries and all of their negative emotions into that stone.

“Then we threw them into the ocean. I felt a sense of relief when I did that,” Ellerbe said.

There are 40 retreats around the country, including two in New Jersey, the one Bradley and Roscigno first participated in and the one they founded in Cape May County. The national organization says 700 women participate each year, and there are more than 1,800 volunteers nationwide.

This year saw new hope for those diagnosed with breast cancer, with clinical trials showing promising results for two treatments, according to news reports.

One, Enhertu, or trastuzumab deruxtecan, showed promise in stalling the progression of cancer for a group of patients with advanced breast cancer, while another, Trodelvy, or sacituzumab govitecan, also resulted in longer progression-free survival compared to standard chemotherapy in certain situations, according to published reports.

“So much information is shared during a retreat, with a lot of that coming from the survivors themselves,” Bradley said. “One never knows what you will learn at a retreat that may be just the information or inspiration that a survivor needs to move forward after her diagnosis. As a survivor and past participant I know that to be true.”