The first year of Paddle for Progress was a remarkable success. With about 75 paddlers taking to the waters of Wickford Harbor last month, the inaugural event raised just under $32,000 for breast cancer research in Rhode Island.
Deb Shapiro, the event’s founder, presented a check to Dr. Theresa Graves, director of The Center for Breast Care at Brown Surgical Associates and clinical director of the Lifespan Cancer Institute Breast Center, and Dr. Stephanie Graff, director of oncology at the Lifespan Cancer Institute.
Deb and her daughter, Daryl, were diagnosed with breast cancer within 100 days of each other. They were both treated by Dr. Graves, Dr. Graff, and the team at Lifespan’s Rhode Island Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Clinic. Deb and Daryl turned their diagnosis into action by launching Paddle for Progress RI and Dr. Graves and Dr. Graff both helped celebrate their inaugural event, which took place recently in Wickford Harbor.
