Survivor Rowing Network Racing at HOCR 2025

DECLAN WATSON - We Can Row Philly

BRIDGET PROTUS - CORPBCS- Westerville OH

SIMONA LAVAZZA - Rosa Remo- Rome

JL RACING: Can you share your story of how you became involved with rowing and SRN? What initially drew you to the sport?

BRIDGET:

A few months after I completed chemo and had recovered from surgery, I started attending a local breast cancer support group. While the group was full of great women, it was a monthly talking group and after about a year, I really wanted something more. I happened to see a flyer for a breast cancer survivors rowing team in the lobby of the building where the support group met. I’d never participated in team sports or really any sports before. But the get-to-know-the-team meeting was coming up and I was immediately intrigued. I knew very little about rowing, but I hoped it would be an active recovery path to get my strength and confidence back.

DECLAN:

Back in 1988, I was Captain of the Trinity College Dublin Track & Field Team when I attended a classmate’s 21st birthday at our Boathouse in Islandbridge, Dublin. The history on those walls—photos of crews spanning more than a century—immediately captivated me. At 2am on the walk back into the city, a rower friend and I debated rowing versus track & field sprinting. To settle it, we agreed that if I survived one rowing session, I’d earn a pint of Guinness. Five hours later, bleary-eyed but determined, I showed up. I did indeed win that pint, but to this day I wonder if I really “won” that bet—because I am still rowing and it set me on a course that changed my life. The following summer I met Julianne (my wife) at the Irish National Rowing Championships (and yes there is a story there too) and then moved to Philadelphia and kept rowing competitively for a few years. 

Work travel curtailed my rowing but I kept an Erg at home and not just to collect dust LOL.   Back in 2017 my wife Julianne was diagnosed with throat cancer.  Getting back on the rowing machine gave me a way to ‘keep my mental state in some shape or form’.  I got totally back into it in no time.  Then before I knew it, an online rowing group convinced me to go to the 2018 World Rowing Indoor Championships in Alexandria, Virginia. I wasn’t in peak shape, but I loved the nature of getting into a competition again and it sparked from there.

Then in 2020 I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (a blood cancer that is still without a cure) and rowing gave me a way to escape the brutality of chemotherapy.  I went on to ‘participate’ in the 2023 World Rowing Indoor Championships in Canada while still on chemotherapy (a.k.a. performance inhibiting drugs) and managed not to embarrass myself.

My connection to SRN was pure serendipity. In March of this year, I crossed paths with #WeCanRowPhiladelphia, and from that moment, I knew I had found a way to get back on that water and a new community.

LINDSAY: 

I was first introduced to rowing at my freshman activities fair in college, the rowing team had a table and I figured it was one of the few sports I could try with no experience. I loved it so much I rowed all 4 years and then thought my rowing career was done. Fast forward to 13 years and a breast cancer diagnosis later and I connected with a friend that wanted to start a rowing team for survivors in our area, and the rest is history.

SIMONA:

When I was younger, I liked going against the tide - and maybe I still do.
Rowing was a sport not typically practiced by women, and that really piqued my curiosity.
Once you start rowing, once you become one with the river, it is hard to stop. So, despite the natural pauses life brings, rowing has always been a part of my journey.
I got sick twice, at 33 and again at 43. After treatment, I returned to rowing - but the truth is, this sport also became part of the healing process. It felt like a continuation of the therapy.
That is when I felt the need to share this incredible benefit: a way to care for both body and mind, while having fun.
That is how Rosaremo was born.

JL RACING: What was your first experience on the water like?

BRIDGET:

I was nervous but once I sat in the boat with the rest of the women, I felt like this was the place I needed to be. From that first practice, I was hooked on rowing!

DECLAN: 

Determined to win that bet, I arrived at the Islandbridge Boathouse ready for anything—or so I thought. At first, in the training tank, I thought, “Easiest pint of Guinness ever.” But then after 10 minutes they sent me down to the dock to climb into an Eight. Fear hit me hard; the shell looked so delicate I was sure I’d put my foot straight through. Once we launched, let’s just say my spine may still bear the dents from the rower behind me —though I gave as good as I got to the guy in front of me! That evening, the senior crew hosted a home regatta pasta dinner. It was terrific, and I knew I’d discovered something I didn’t even know I’d been missing for the past 3 years in Trinity.

JL RACING: Looking back on your journey from diagnosis to now, how would you describe the role of rowing in your recovery and personal growth?

DECLAN: 

While multiple myeloma does not currently have a cure and I know my cancer is coming back – rowing has allowed me to keep in pretty decent shape and at the same time I can lose myself on an erg piece or just ‘switch off’ on the water and concentrate on something else.  I refuse to live in fear and wait for my cancer to come back.  I believe in living with cancer and not fighting it.  Fighting is a very negative use of energy and cancer treatment sucks the living life out of you – I would rather use whatever energy I have to do something positive with my life and how I live.  However, the cynical part of me suspects that my brain is trying to punish my body by making me push through 2k and 5k time trials LOL but the evidence is still a bit sketchy.

LINDSAY: 

Personally my diagnosis has allowed me to reconnect with a sport that I love. But it has been so much more than that for me. As a coach, I get my greatest satisfaction in watching our members start as total novices to the sport and grow in their skills to be amazing masters’ athletes. Many of our women have never been on a team sport or considered themselves athletic so seeing their self confidence bloom after cancer has been the greatest gift.

JL RACING: Can you share any particular goals or hopes you have for this year's race or experience at Head of the Charles?

BRIDGET:

For me the Head of the Charles is a “bucket list” race! The fact that I get this amazing opportunity to row in a composite boat with 7 other survivors from programs across the country is incredible. The 2025 HOCR happens to be almost exactly 15 years since I was diagnosed in October 2010, so this feels like a huge milestone for me and my family. 

LINDSAY: 

I have a deep desire to soak in the moment as our crew rows in their very first regatta, EVER. This boat has trained so hard this summer, through some really terrible weather conditions and cancelled practices, so I know watching them fly down the race course will be a core memory for me.

JL RACING: How has SRN’s guidance and resources helped you and your local program?

BRIDGET:

SRN has provided a couple of generous grants to our team, Central Ohio Rowing Program for Breast Cancer Survivors (CORP4BCS). We were able to replace a faulty speaker system in our boat and repair some shell damage. But way more than that, the Zoom meetings, idea sharing, speakers have provided us inspiration to pursue fundraising opportunities and other community engagement to grow our small team in the coming seasons.

DECLAN:

Through the expansion of the SRN I think it’s connecting with others outside of your own locale and the opportunity to travel to other programs and learn from them and they from you.

LINDSAY: 

Our club never had intentions of being competitive, until SRN granted us the amazing opportunity to row in HOCR. This is our second year rowing this prestigious race and I can truly say it has changed the lives of some of our members, all for good. None of this would have happened without the support and guidance of the clubs within SRN.

JL RACING: What has surprised you most about joining the rowing community? 

BRIDGET:

Rowers are some of the kindness, most dedicated people! They’re always willing to help other rowers and programs. I was in Vancouver, BC for a half marathon several years ago. At the race expo I met someone from the Vancouver Rowing Club and we immediately struck up a conversation about rowing. I’m hoping to return to Vancouver for a half marathon in 2026. I’d love to see if I could hop in a boat for a little side practice with the VRC team. 

DECLAN: 

I think rowing in this community probably reinforced some things in terms of what rowing is all about. In addition to rowing alongside other cancer patients and survivors, I have rowed alongside people managing diabetes, a completely blind teammate, World Champions, and Olympians – and trust when I say they are all better rowers than myself. In each case, once you push off the dock, none of those labels matter. What matters is how you help the boat move, how you show up for the crew and for yourself. In that moment, all that counts is giving your best—and everyone respects that. That, to me, is the true spirit and essence of rowing and it’s how everyone just embraces that.

LINDSAY: 

The survivor rowing community is so supportive. Last year we shared the MIT boathouse with a team from Rome, Italy and the instant bond we felt with RomaRemo was incredible. Two clubs, from across the world, connecting over a love of sport and conquering cancer. It was magic.

JL RACING: Can you share a memorable moment from your time with SRN, whether in training, racing, or bonding with teammates?

BRIDGET:

In our club, at the end of each practice or regatta, after boat talk, we all put our hands in a circle together for our team cheer - Row Hard! Row Strong! Row Pink!

It’s a fun way to show some team spirit and remember that we’re always rowing for each other.

DECLAN: 

I was most fortunate and privileged to be in the first men’s boat to row under the SRN banner.  Bobbie Smith (Executive Director of the San Diego Classic) could not have been more welcoming and supportive of SRN and also just happens to be a pretty cool person to get to know.  In terms of our men’s boat – let’s just say that the occasion was not lost on us.  Breast cancer survivors paved the very difficult path to get survivor rowing to where it is today and as the first all men’s cancer survivor boat to participate in any event – we were determined to not screw up.  Now, you may well laugh at that but you need to keep in mind the hard miles that women before us rowed to get survivor rowing to where it is today – those efforts command respect and we knew that we had a high standard to live up to.  

LINDSAY: 

After last year’s race, I was walking back to the boathouse so excited to welcome our boat back to dock. This was our first race in club history and I was thrilled by how strong they looked going down the course. Being so new to racing, it wasn’t about the finish time for me, it was about the experience. When I found out the boat placed 3rd, I was so overwhelmed with emotion and pride that I knelt down on the bike path and cried. I will forever remember that moment.  

JL RACING: What is the best thing about the Survivor Rowing Network? 

BRIDGET:

All of the shared resources and support SRN can provide each member organization. Also, being able to make connections with other survivor rowing programs throughout the US and now internationally. I love to travel and the SRN website will enable me to meet with rowers in new locations. 

LINDSAY: 

The constant effort to bring rowing to more survivors. The clubs within SRN don’t gatekeep, they shout from the rooftops! What is great about SRN is there is so much experience within the clubs that are already organized, so starting a chapter or club couldn’t be easier! We have so many resources for anyone interested in starting survivor rowing in their boathouse.

JL RACING: What message or inspiration would you like to share with others who might be considering joining rowing or getting involved with SRN?

BRIDGET:

I encourage everyone to give rowing a try but cancer survivors especially because rowing enables us to feel strong and active again after treatment. If someone is hesitant, just show up and ride in the launch, meet the team, and give rowing a chance – it may change your life! The camaraderie of shared experiences and working together to row well and stay healthy is at the center of a great survivor rowing program.

DECLAN: 

If you need a support group and do not want to talk about cancer – give this a try.  The fresh air will do you good.  It is a great way to avoid letting cancer define who you are and shift the pendulum to supporting you defining who you are.  There is also a pretty good chance that you will have fun and learn how to smile and laugh again.

JL RACING: Is there anything else you’d like to share about your journey, your experience with SRN, or what this race means to you?

DECLAN: 

We’re working to expand SRN programs worldwide so more survivors can experience what we have. The demand is clear—some programs have six-month waiting lists. Exercise has proven benefits in recovery; rowing, with its total-body engagement, can even help regenerate cells battered by treatment. Working alongside Beth Kohl, we’re committed to growing this network so more survivors can find strength, joy, and a chance to define life beyond cancer.

LINDSAY: 

I am just so grateful to SRN and the HOCR committee for extending this opportunity to us for another year, I can promise you it will be a race to remember!

Make sure to visit the Survivor Rowing Network tent and the JL Racing tent at Head of the Charles!