By: June Cheong

On water, they row. On land, they run - for their lives, one might say. The six women, all breast cancer survivors and members of the Paddlers In The Pink, a dragonboat team from the Breast Cancer Foundation, run to keep healthy and, hopefully, to keep cancer at bay.

One of them, human resource executive Irene Chui, 43, said: 'The only way to keep cancer recurrence at bay is to lead a healthy lifestyle, build up immunity, eat healthy and be happy.'

While running is an avenue to fitness, friendship is the big plus.

Ms Anusuya Chia, 55, a project director, said: 'After my battle with cancer, I started exercising.

'Irene's been my inspiration. She encourages me and tells me that I can do whatever I set my mind to.'

Ms Chui, in turn, found support and a buddy in Ms Irene Ning, 49, a secretary and part-time aerobics instructor.

She said: 'I never liked to run because of my bad knees.'

However, the two women would keep pace with each other. 'Towards the end of the last kilometre, we'll hold hands and run together,' she said.

Now Ms Chui takes part in all manner of running events.

She is prepping for the Shape Run on July 19, the Osim Singapore International Triathlon's mini-triathlon on Aug 1 and 2 and the Army Half Marathon 2009 on Aug 16.

Ms Chui, who is in early menopause as both her ovaries have been removed to prevent cancer recurrence, said: 'Chemotherapy has decreased our bone density. It is a matter of time before we'll see osteoporosis. This is exactly why I need to keep myself fit.

'Running also helps prevent menopause symptoms like depression and migraine. I can really sweat it out and gain a sense of achievement when I complete a race.'

Ms Eunice Tan, 44, a housewife who was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in May last year and is now in remission, found that regular exercise helped her body cope with treatment better.

She took long walks and did qigong in Bedok Reservoir Park almost every day, even after her chemotherapy sessions.

She said: 'Exercise helped to reduce my side effects and kept my life as normal as possible.'

Meanwhile, Ms Chui revealed she has done extreme sports like mountain climbing.

She and her family climbed Island Peak in the Himalayas in Nepal last December. While the others had to rest, she and her daughter trekked up to a height of 6,000m.

They stopped only when Ms Chui's arms swelled due to lymphedema and she could no longer feel sensation in her left arm.

Lymphedema is a condition of localised fluid retention and often occurs in breast cancer patients who have had all or part of their breasts and underarm lymph nodes removed.

Ms Chui had her left breast and lymph nodes removed when she was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago.

Ms Chui's daughter Suying Seetoh, 18, said: 'My brother and Dad gave up the ascent three hours before my mum and I did. I was about to give up too but she has superb perseverance and was still saying chong ah (Mandarin for 'let's go').'

Ms Chui said: 'We're living proof there is life after breast cancer. That's why we run and keep ourselves fit.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.