Five cancer warriors take to the waves

2016-12-15 10:00:00

The sailboat ‘Cannonball’ is manned by five women who don’t know when they’re beaten. Having faced up to a battle with cancer, all five came out on top. They are a living example that having a tumour doesn’t have to bring your life to a halt.
Keen to show their energy and that they’ve left their illness behind them, Patricia Alonso, Marian Santiago, Yolanda Preciados, Susana Laguarda and Carmen Peláez, aged from 37 to 57, are going to take on the Atlantic, manning a sailboat bound for the island of Martinique in the Caribbean. The vessel docked in Malaga port on Tuesday, arriving from Valencia, before heading for Tenerife, where they are expected to arrive by the 13th.
The five warriors are taking part in the Reto Pelayo Vida (#RetoPelayoVida) and were selected from a pool of 90 women who had had cancer. One of the criteria was to be in good physical shape. Even then, the hopefuls had to take part in a 40-hour navigation challenge between Valencia and the Balearic Islands, explained Yolanda Preciados, Mijas resident. She suffered cancer of the uterus, while the other crew members had breast cancer.
“This is a very nice experience,” she says. “Iam very happy to be part of the crew. What we want to show is that there is life after cancer. Last year Iwas having chemotherapy and now I am about to cross the Atlantic.”
The five women will be able to count on the support of two Olympic rowers in the shape of Iago López-Marra and Diego Fructuoso who will accompany them on the voyage.
They hope to depart Tenerife on 16 November, before crossing the Atlantic - a journey expected to take 14 days. The tropical island of Martinique awaits them at the end of the month.source surinenglish