WILMINGTON, N.C. — An organization helps men with cancer go on fly fishing trips to find comfort and support, while doing something enjoyable.
It's one way nonprofit Reel Recovery is standing up to cancer.
What You Need To Know
- Reel Recovery is a nonprofit organization that allows men with cancer to go on fly fishing retreats at little to no cost so they can find comfort in fishing and find support from others
- The next retreat is October 6-8 in Spruce Pine, N.C.
- You can donate to the organization to help cover the cost for the participants
Doug Turner has been fishing his entire life. “I’ve been fishing since I was 4 or 5 years old,” Turner said, “I’ve been fly fishing since I was maybe 18.”
It’s something that brings him peace—especially when he needs it most.
“In 2017, I was diagnosed with stage-three metastatic lung cancer,” Turner said, “Which had spread to my lymph nodes and eventually my brain and my spine.”
Doctors gave Turner an 11% chance of living beyond five years. According to the American Lung Association, lung cancer is the leading cancer responsible for deaths in both men and women in the United States, surpassing breast cancer in 1987.
“I was 47 years old, had some small kids at the time. I played basketball in college, I was an athlete, I never smoked,” Turner said, “It kind of hit me hard for a little bit.”
That news made Turner seek a support group. To his surprise, there weren’t many of them for men with cancer, but one finally clicked.
“You know, two or three pages back on the computer, I kind of saw Reel Recovery,” Turner said, “I read about it, and I was kind of like that’s right up my alley.”
Reel Recovery was started 20 years ago by a group of friends, one of whom was battling brain cancer. They discovered that while fishing, they didn’t think about the cancer. It was a form of comfort.
That’s when they brought that comfort to others with Reel Recovery. The retreats provide a safe space to host what they call “courageous conversations,” something that Turner finds very helpful.
“The courageous conversations give them a safe place to be vulnerable,” Turner said, “To talk about their cancer with other people, other men who have gone through the same thing as them.”
And Turner is no longer just a participant. He’s the North and South Carolina state coordinator. Now, he’s helping other men who have gone through what he has. He helps them stand up to cancer and get the support they need so that they can see it through — just like he did.
“They basically scanned me from my eyebrows to my shins they said and there was no metastatic disease anywhere in my body,” said Turner. “So I kind of beat the odds with the 11% to live five years. You know this is six years now, and it’s great.”
Reel Recovery’s next retreat will be from Oct. 6 though Oct.8 in Spruce Pine, N.C. They’re looking to raise funds for the participants to cover lodging, fishing, equipment, food and all the essentials needed to fly fish.
You can donate or get involved with the organization by clicking here, just be sure to include North Carolina in the description so they know what it’s for.