The idea of Casting for Recovery is to not just survive, but thrive.

It’s a program that puts together breast cancer survivors with fly-fishing instructors for a weekend retreat on the water, combining physical therapy with spiritual and emotional recovery.

Linda Keller, a professor of rehabilitation counselor education at Western Oregon University, knows a lot about both.

Five years ago, she became a breast cancer survivor and had to apply to herself the same lessons she teaches.

Keller attended the first Oregon retreat as a survivor in 2004.

She returned in 2005 — and will participate in the Sept. 8-10 retreat this year — as a “psycho-social facilitator.”

That’s a fancy term for doing everything from serving as a group counselor, activities director and cheerleader to providing a handy shoulder to cry on or a listener who’s all ears.

“You know, it gives you new eyeglasses to look through,” Keller said about her dual experiences. “It does weave into my conversations.

“Dealing with loss and adjustment to loss, and dealing with disability, and all that kind of thing. And now of course, it’s different now having worn the shoes myself.”

But fishing?

“I hadn’t been fishing since I was a kid,” Keller said with a laugh. “I’ve been involved with the YWCA breast cancer support group since I went through chemotherapy. That’s been about 4 1/2 years ago now.”

Eileen Hirsh of Salem, a longtime volunteer with the 10-year-old Vermont-based national Casting for Recovery program, came to speak to the group when the first Oregon retreat was set up, pitching for recruits.

“I said ‘It looks nice, but I don’t see myself fly-fishing,’ ” Keller said about her initial skepticism. “But I thought, “What the heck? I’m going to put my hat in the ring.’ And I was one of four from Salem who was chosen.”

The extended weekend of bonding and fishing at the Big K Guest Ranch on the Umpqua River had the intended effect.

“It was more than I ever expected,” Keller said, adding with a laugh about the transformation upon her return, “My husband though I was crazy because I was like, ‘I’m going out and buying my waders, and I’m getting my boots. And I doing this, I’m doing that.’ “

It seemed like a perfect fit from the get-go, said Kathie Larsen, the guest ranch director and part owner of the family run Big K, a working ranch as well as fishing lodge.

“It’s an awesome group, a wonderful group,” Larsen said of the annual invasion, adding that first year, “We had basically heard about groups like them, but not to where I really had an idea as to who they were.”

Now Big K is a partial sponsor, offering Casting for Recovery a discount on the stay.

That first retreat, Keller was one of the only participants to catch a fish and got a prize for the biggest.

And her reaction — going from mild to wild about the experience — is pretty typical, said Cathy Tronquet of Medford, one of the founders of the Oregon retreats.

“I’d taught fly-fishing to women for about 10 years, so that part of it was a no-brainer for me because I love to share my knowledge and enthusiasm for the sport,” she said. “So this was my way of just giving back.”

Some of the 14 who are picked for the all-expenses-paid weekend have fished before, some are just curious.

All have a need to share, though.

“I see the connection with nature and the connection with, you know, your fishing buddy who’s down the way and does catch a fish,” Tronquet said. “And, you know, that whole spiritual connection with the outdoors is healing, and I’ve always looked at fly-fishing that way.

“Even before Casting for Recovery.”

For the volunteers, enough for one-on-one with the participants, the goal is pretty simple, Tronquet said.

“Our mission is to just spoil them rotten for a weekend, to give them a weekend where they don’t have to lift a finger, they feel special, they’re given an opportunity to do what they want,” she said with a laugh.

For some, it’s a lot more than the physical therapy that’s needed, Tronquet added.

“I know that first retreat we had a woman from the netherlands of Eastern Oregon who, you know, the doctor just lopped off her breasts and sent her home,” Tronquet recalled. “And she didn’t have any kind of support network.

“She was a phenomenal experience, just to see how much she just needed to laugh and cry and be with other women who have been through the same thing.”

Source: Statesman Journal