We close out our 25th Anniversary with a final From the Riffle submission. Each month in 2021, Casting for Recovery featured a special guest blogger that discussed their connection to CfR. Our final submission comes from Co-Founder, Dr. Benita Walton.

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My first traditional spin fishing was near Cape Canaveral over 60 years ago. My first fly fishing experience was in Oban, Scotland. I rarely get to fish at all, but my most recent trip was the Beaverkill at Joan Wulff’s School—-Still learning.

As one of the co-founders of Casting for Recovery, I remain as engaged with the non profit as often as I can though my ‘day job’ as a doctor can be labor intensive which keeps me off the river. I’ve been awestruck and humbled by the time, effort, and growth that CfR has gained over the past 25 years. Dedication by the volunteers, casting instructors, administrators is evident in the number of women touched by the organization.

I’m just a cog in the wheel. Hard to describe how moving it is to see the women coalesce during the first evening, enjoy each other’s company on Saturday, share their grief and joy on Saturday evening. Participants seem to gain so much from not needing to describe their pain and losses with those who have endured the same fight.

I must say, as well, that seeing the guides, often spouses or siblings of survivors—or those who have lost the fight—work the participants on Sunday is sublime. 

Here at Casting for Recovery, there are similarities between each of the retreats, but each offers a special memory—one image, one conversation from each attended that just sticks with me. I often wonder if it’s the same with the rest of the team and the participants.