HOUSTON – For the women of Pink Phurree — pronounced fury — survivorship is about more than moving forward. It’s about moving together. The team is a place to rebuild strength, celebrate life after treatment and remind others that survivorship can include joy, movement and connection.
Pink Phurree is Texas’ first all-women breast cancer survivor dragon boat team nonprofit, founded in 2007 to help survivors rebuild strength, resilience and confidence through the power of teamwork. The team brings together women at every stage of survivorship, creating a support system both on and off the water.
This month, 10 Houston breast cancer survivors will represent the city at the International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission (IBCPC) Participatory Dragon Boat Festival in France. The event brings together breast cancer survivor paddlers from around the world every four years to celebrate survivorship, advocacy and community.
For team members like Gaile Stiteler, Susan McGee, Dora Lipper and Maria Buenabad, dragon boating has become a reminder that life after cancer can be full of strength, connection and new challenges.
As they prepare to compete internationally, the women of Pink Phurree are honoring those still fighting, those who have survived and those they have lost — while showing that survivors are more than their diagnosis.
Watch their full conversation above to learn more about Pink Phurree’s journey.
To support Pink Phurree, visit pinkphurree.org.
For more information about the 2026 IBCPC Participatory Dragon Boat Festival, visit ibcpcfrance2026.com.