The Dragon Flies Breast Cancer Survivor Group continues to soar and make a difference for those needing breast cancer care by raising $22,500 in 2025 for three hospitals in central Ontario, including in Kawartha Lakes.
Better known as The Dragon Flies, the group held its “Diva Night” on October 23 at the Victoria Park Armoury in Lindsay. The annual event is a night of education, awareness, and fun that brings women together to learn and bond over dinner and informative speakers.
At the event, founding members Jo-Ann Forson, Nancy Hanna, and Gail Payne presented $7,500 each to the Ross Memorial Hospital (RMH) Foundation, the Lakeridge Health Foundation Oshawa, and the Port Perry Hospital Foundation.
RMH Foundation CEO Erin Coons told kawarthaNOW the donation from The Dragon Flies will support diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer at RMH, helping the Lindsay hospital acquire state-of-the-art diagnostic technology and to become an accredited breast assessment centre offering Cancer Care Ontario’s High Risk Ontario Breast Screening Program.
“The diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer relies on patients’ access to many modalities, including 3D mammography, MRI, ultrasound, sentinel node machine, biopsy console, and more,” Coons said.
“Like all tools that are used every day, it is critically important that they are replaced at the end of their useful life. The Dragon Flies’ loyal support for breast cancer care at RMH provides help to acquire these life-saving tools and ensures as little disruption to patient care as possible.”
During the Diva Night event, Dr. Tina Oliphant — a diagnostic radiologist at Peterborough Regional Health Centre — was the guest speaker.
As a “cancer hunter,” Dr. Oliphant explained the tools and technology she uses to detect breast cancer as early as possible and shared her perspective of the breast cancer patient’s journey.
Dr. Oliphant said that, while breast cancer is the top diagnosed cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer death in Canadian women, the survival rate is 99 per cent when the cancer is detected early.
The Dragon Flies Breast Cancer Survivor Group was formed in 2002 to raise awareness about breast cancer and to raise funds for diagnosis and treatement, to share a spirit of positive energy following a breast cancer diagnosis, and to encourage women or men living with breast cancer to lead full and active lives.
The group uses the sport of dragon boating as its major activity to encourage breast cancer survivors to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and also offers wellness and exercise activities, access to resources, and events featuring special guest speakers.
Since its formation, The Dragon Flies has raised $437,800 in support of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. For more information and to become a member, visit www.thedragonflies.org.
