RICHMOND, Va. — For people living with cancer, the daily weight of treatment, side effects, and uncertainty can be suffocating. Sail Beyond Cancer USA offers something different: a day on the open water, free of charge, with five loved ones along for the ride.
Suzanne Snyder, executive director of Sail Beyond Cancer USA, founded the nonprofit in 2014 after her own cancer diagnosis.
"We take anybody who's being challenged by cancer, any age, any type of cancer, anywhere [in the] United States, out sailing for free with five of their loved ones," Snyder said.
The organization has taken several thousand people sailing over its 11 years. Once out on the water, the engine goes off and the helm goes directly to the cancer patient.
"Then we get out there, we get the sails up, turns the engine off. Hand the helm to the nominee, the cancer patient, immediately, so they have something that they have in their control," Snyder said.
Snyder said the experience is just as meaningful for caregivers as it is for patients.
"It's really important for the caregivers to be able to have an opportunity just to stop and to be with the person that they love so very much, and they care so very much for and actually be with that person outside on that same sail is truly magical for them, and they need a break. They don't get a break," Snyder said.
Shari Bennett-Speer, one of the participants, was diagnosed with polycystic liver disease and received a liver transplant. She was then diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer just before the six-month anniversary of that transplant.
"I couldn't have made it through without him, just knowing that I had this treat has just felt like breathing, like being alive," Bennett-Speer said.
Snyder said the gratitude she sees from participants is what keeps the organization going.
"As one friend of mine, who is stage four cancer in Vermont, when she comes out, she's like, 'This is my cancer-free day.' This is why we do this, because people like Shari ... they appreciate this, and they're just so grateful to be out here, and it's just so wonderful. That's what gives us energy," Snyder said.
Bennett-Speer said the anticipation of the sailing trip alone had lifted her spirits.
"I can't tell you how deeply grateful I am to Suzanne and to Sail Beyond Cancer. This means so much to me, and it has been very hard, very hard, and I really, really try to always look at the positive side, and to keep my eyes on surviving and the good that's to come. It can get hard on the day to day, and so just knowing that this was coming up has lifted me up, and just knowing that today I don't have to worry about any of that stuff, it's such an incredible gift," Bennett-Speer said.
Those interested in nominating a cancer patient for a free sailing trip, or who want to volunteer with Sail Beyond Cancer USA, can find more information at sailbeyondcancer.org.
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