One Weekend Changed Sarah’s Life—Double Your Impact to Help the Next Woman
When Sarah pulled into the retreat parking lot, she was exhausted—physically and emotionally. What she found on the river was more than fly fishing. It was healing, community, and the strength to keep going.
Right now, you can help another woman like Sarah find her people, her peace, and her power—and your unrestricted gift will be doubled thanks to a $25,000 match from the Christine C. Price Breast Cancer Fund, Karen and John Kreft, and a generous anonymous donor.
👉 Read Sarah’s story below.
Sarah's Story
Ugh… I’m running late (again), my energy is low, and my guilt is high as I pull into the parking lot for a weekend women’s retreat. Like many moms, I question my decision to take a few days for self-care, but my two-year journey to treat breast cancer is evidence that such care is not only important, but needed.
I scramble to put on my hat to cover my scraggly hair, which is trying to recover from chemo, and I step out of the car with my head held low. I hear women in fishing waders laughing as they prepare the fishing rods for the weekend. I look up and I receive a warm welcome to the Casting for Recovery Retreat team. I just stood still and started to cry as I knew I had found “my people.” These women had either been through the battle themselves or supported cancer fighters, which was evident as their eyes were filled with understanding, their smiles were full of courage, and their kindness touched my heart.
That creepy-sinking-fearful feeling of cancer, which had been following me for the past few years, seemed to subside and was replaced with excitement for this new adventure.
As I was escorted to the lodge at the beautiful North Fork Ranch, I met an awesome crew of ladies ranging from ages 30 to 70 and at all stages of the cancer healing journey. We were spoiled with fishing gear, healthy and tasty food options, and laughter that filled the cabin. That creepy-sinking-fearful feeling of cancer, which had been following me for the past few years, seemed to subside and was replaced with excitement for this new adventure. The next day, the CFR staff and cancer experts helped us channel our energy to learn about the fundamentals of fly rod rigging, fly selection and casting. This format allowed us to get comfortable with our peers and soon we were sharing our cancer journey stories, lessons, and questions. After a day of educational and emotional progress, we were ready to hit the river and experience fly fishing first-hand. We each had our own guide, and everyone was successful in catching fish. I’m convinced the North Fork fish are magnetized, which would explain how quickly they found our hooks☺.
I was transformed by the CfR experience and filled with a renewed strength and excitement for my next chapter of life beyond cancer. I cannot thank the CFR team and benefactors enough for the opportunity to participate in the retreat. I gained a love for a new sport and a new perspective on navigating the challenging currents of life. I’m now trying to teach my two daughters (Audrey, 12 and Lucy, 10) how to fish and we only lost one fishing net on our first outing, which is likely floating around 11-mile reservoir by now. .
Like the fish, we need to focus our attention upriver and send our worries downriver.
Although we didn’t catch any fish, I was able to teach my little ‘anglers’ a few lessons:
(1) to embrace every season
(2) to adapt to the ever-changing currents
(3) like the fish, we need to focus our attention upriver and send our worries downriver.
I cannot recommend CfR enough to other breast cancer warriors and I encourage future anglers to not only get out and explore the river, but to embrace the beautiful lessons it will teach you.
