Frequently Asked Questions

We are here to support others who are going through (or have a history) of breast cancer treatment. We create a community of “surthrivers” and help support each other through monthly informational gatherings, gym workouts in our private gym, and paddling outrigger and dragon boats during the summer months!

Additionally, we will be hosting our 5th ANNUAL PADDLE PALOOZA  July 11-13, 2024 on Flathead Lake.

We also began hosting a very special Medical Oncology Survivorship Conference, in collaboration with the University of Montana Integrative Physiology Department and will be hosting the 2nd Annual Conference July 9 and 10, 2024 on the University of Montana campus.

Please contact us and leave your number if you’d like to speak directly with a Silver Lining member.

No, all our fundraising goes to help support our activities.  Dragon boat and outrigger paddling, monthly gatherings, speakers, special events, insurance, and more.

None of us had ever been in a dragon boat or outrigger before we joined Silver Lining Montana.

ALL are welcome!!  Our only prerequisites are that you know how to swim and are comfortable in the water.

Frenchtown pond, early mornings. Days tbd

At the Montana Canoe Club in Big Arm, MT.

Typically we practice on Tuesday at  6pm and Sunday at 8am.

That is absolutely fine! Our monthly gatherings are held at Headwaters Foundation located at 119 W. Main Street in Missoula and are a great place to meet others who have been through this darn rodeo!

We always have a casual potluck of healthy snacks/dishes and typically we invite a speaker each month to talk about various things.

In the past, we’ve had naturopaths, surgeons, acupuncturists, exercise scientists, oncologists and more.

We believe that knowledge is power and we love bringing in speakers to talk about their respective specialty.

It costs $10/person per session.

We bring in our own trainer who trains us in our gym.

We ask each person to contribute $5/session or $40/month, if they are able.

If you have a financial hardship, the Foundation will support these individuals.

Our gym is at 3819 Stephens Avenue S in the Century Plaza building.

It is our own private gym that is generously donated to us by the owners of the building. If you are interested in seeing it, please contact us to arrange a tour.

Monday and Thursday  at 5:45 pm and Saturday mornings at 9 am with trainer Mike Rankin

Your first paddle session is free.

There is a $100 seasonal fee due on April 1st.

This basically is a vested interest and is normal team practice.

If you have financial difficulties, the Foundation will help support this cost.

If you’re currently going through treatment and/or have not exercised much, we have two options:

• The first would be to register for a free program through Alpine PT called Fit2Fight. It’s a 6-week program that is led by trained physical therapists.
• We also are working with the University of MT Cardio-Pulmonary and Oncology Rehabilitation Lab, which is led by graduate students and work with small groups to establish base strength and fitness, depending on current cancer treatment and/or physical limitations.

There are no expectations on how many times you can attend. We know life is busy with kids, jobs, etc.. That being said, we do have an app called TeamSnap that helps us with all our planning, attendances, etc for both gym workouts and paddling workouts. You can get signed up for this by contacting us and mentioning  TeamSnap in the form.

Our big push behind our organization is to get individuals to MOVE. The research resoundingly indicates that we can reduce our rate of recurrence by 40-50% with REGULAR exercise. This is our mantra and we have so much fun doing it! It’s about finding joy and the silver lining in a cancer diagnosis.