Gone fishing
Retreat helps women in all stages of breast cancer, recovery
This weekend, a group of 14 Montana women who have experienced breast cancer first hand will gather together to learn about a different kind of surgeon's knot — the one you tie in your line when fly fishing. The women will be part of Montana's second Casting for Recovery weekend at the 320 Guest Ranch July 17-19 in Big Sky.
Alice Golden of Billings is serving as this year's retreat volunteer planning coordinator. Golden, a breast cancer survivor, said she participated in a CFR retreat in New York in 2005.
"It was such a healing experience. I think it just totally enhanced my quality of life, as far as giving me a whole new skill in an environment that I find so uplifting — being out on the water," she said.
When Golden moved to Montana in November of 2005, it became her goal to establish a CFR chapter in the state so other women could share a similar experience. In June of 2008, that goal was achieved when 14 women participated in CFR's premiere Montana retreat.
Joining Golden on last year's staff, was Susan Balch of Reading, Vt. Balch had been a staff member on Golden's CFR retreat in 2005 and the two became friends. Balch, an avid fly fisher and former CFR program director, currently serves as a consultant to the organization. Balch worked with Golden to organize the first Montana retreat and served as its leader.
Balch helped develop the original CFR program and said that over the years the organization has come up with a formula to follow when organizing fly fishing retreats. It involves everything from programming and staff to the number of women selected. One of the interesting things about the retreats is that they bring women in all stages of treatment and recovery together.
"We have found that bringing together women in different stages is beneficial for all," Balch said.
Despite the formula, Balch said that every retreat is different due to the different women making up the retreat's leadership and participant list. One thing the retreats do have in common is that they provide a positive experience for all the women in attendance.
"I couldn't continue with the work if I didn't see that it was making a difference in people's lives," Balch said.
Roberta Ehli of Billings served as the 2008 CFR retreat's participant coordinator and will be serving as this year's retreat leader. Ehli said that in addition to learning to fly fish on the banks of the ranch's trout pond and attending workshops and discussions on fishing and breast cancer, the women will have a chuck wagon barbecue on Saturday evening and spend some time fishing the Gallatin River with a personal guide on Sunday morning.
"It's just a wonderful time for women to get together and share their experiences and also enjoy the outdoors," she said.
In addition to making friends and learning to be comfortable with themselves, post-cancer diagnosis, Ehli shared one main hope for this year's participants.
"I'm hoping someone catches a fish!" she said.
Phyllis Welch of Dillon attended last year's retreat and had only positive things to say about the experience. Welch said that she doesn't usually share much about her breast cancer experience, but felt comfortable sharing with the other women gathered for the 2008 CFR retreat.
"Everybody had been through the same thing and they understood where you were coming from," she said.
Welch, who was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 ½ years ago, said she enjoyed being pampered and having a new activity to take her mind off her relatively new designation as a cancer survivor.
"I thought it was great fun. It was relaxing. You kind of forgot what you were there for," she said.
This year's leadership is looking forward to Friday afternoon when the new class of 2009 CFR participants will arrive at the ranch from Montana cities ranging from Colstrip to Missoula.
Golden shared her hopes for them.
"My wish, really, is that all the participants that come are able to receive whatever it is that they need right now for wherever they are on their journey," she said.
Casting for Recovery Casting for Recovery believes "To Fish is to Hope" Casting for Recovery is a national, non-profit program established in 1996 that helps women in all stages of breast cancer treatment and recovery learn the fundamentals of fly fishing, while providing programming designed to provide support for the emotional, medical and physical aspects of the disease. At the end of 2008, the organization had hosted 269 retreats serving 3,500 breast cancer patients and survivors. CFR retreats are provided to the applicants, chosen at random, at no cost and are funded by donations to the organization.
For more information about the organization in Montana, call Alice Golden at 697-1952 or visit the national CFR Web site at www.castingforrecovery.org .
Retreat helps women in all stages of breast cancer, recovery
This weekend, a group of 14 Montana women who have experienced breast cancer first hand will gather together to learn about a different kind of surgeon's knot — the one you tie in your line when fly fishing. The women will be part of Montana's second Casting for Recovery weekend at the 320 Guest Ranch July 17-19 in Big Sky.
Alice Golden of Billings is serving as this year's retreat volunteer planning coordinator. Golden, a breast cancer survivor, said she participated in a CFR retreat in New York in 2005.
"It was such a healing experience. I think it just totally enhanced my quality of life, as far as giving me a whole new skill in an environment that I find so uplifting — being out on the water," she said.
When Golden moved to Montana in November of 2005, it became her goal to establish a CFR chapter in the state so other women could share a similar experience. In June of 2008, that goal was achieved when 14 women participated in CFR's premiere Montana retreat.
Joining Golden on last year's staff, was Susan Balch of Reading, Vt. Balch had been a staff member on Golden's CFR retreat in 2005 and the two became friends. Balch, an avid fly fisher and former CFR program director, currently serves as a consultant to the organization. Balch worked with Golden to organize the first Montana retreat and served as its leader.
Balch helped develop the original CFR program and said that over the years the organization has come up with a formula to follow when organizing fly fishing retreats. It involves everything from programming and staff to the number of women selected. One of the interesting things about the retreats is that they bring women in all stages of treatment and recovery together.
"We have found that bringing together women in different stages is beneficial for all," Balch said.
Despite the formula, Balch said that every retreat is different due to the different women making up the retreat's leadership and participant list. One thing the retreats do have in common is that they provide a positive experience for all the women in attendance.
"I couldn't continue with the work if I didn't see that it was making a difference in people's lives," Balch said.
Roberta Ehli of Billings served as the 2008 CFR retreat's participant coordinator and will be serving as this year's retreat leader. Ehli said that in addition to learning to fly fish on the banks of the ranch's trout pond and attending workshops and discussions on fishing and breast cancer, the women will have a chuck wagon barbecue on Saturday evening and spend some time fishing the Gallatin River with a personal guide on Sunday morning.
"It's just a wonderful time for women to get together and share their experiences and also enjoy the outdoors," she said.
In addition to making friends and learning to be comfortable with themselves, post-cancer diagnosis, Ehli shared one main hope for this year's participants.
"I'm hoping someone catches a fish!" she said.
Phyllis Welch of Dillon attended last year's retreat and had only positive things to say about the experience. Welch said that she doesn't usually share much about her breast cancer experience, but felt comfortable sharing with the other women gathered for the 2008 CFR retreat.
"Everybody had been through the same thing and they understood where you were coming from," she said.
Welch, who was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 ½ years ago, said she enjoyed being pampered and having a new activity to take her mind off her relatively new designation as a cancer survivor.
"I thought it was great fun. It was relaxing. You kind of forgot what you were there for," she said.
This year's leadership is looking forward to Friday afternoon when the new class of 2009 CFR participants will arrive at the ranch from Montana cities ranging from Colstrip to Missoula.
Golden shared her hopes for them.
"My wish, really, is that all the participants that come are able to receive whatever it is that they need right now for wherever they are on their journey," she said.
Casting for Recovery Casting for Recovery believes "To Fish is to Hope" Casting for Recovery is a national, non-profit program established in 1996 that helps women in all stages of breast cancer treatment and recovery learn the fundamentals of fly fishing, while providing programming designed to provide support for the emotional, medical and physical aspects of the disease. At the end of 2008, the organization had hosted 269 retreats serving 3,500 breast cancer patients and survivors. CFR retreats are provided to the applicants, chosen at random, at no cost and are funded by donations to the organization.
For more information about the organization in Montana, call Alice Golden at 697-1952 or visit the national CFR Web site at www.castingforrecovery.org .