More than 30 years of memories on the water

Driscoll Children’s Hospital recently held its 33^rd Chemo Kids Fish Off this summer. The annual trip sees cancer patients go out on the water for a day of fishing.

Shannon B. Broughton, clinical coordinator at Driscoll’s Cancer and Blood Disorder Center, has been a part of the events for 10 years. She’s seen lasting memories come to life year after year with the simple fishing trip.

“These kids live in a bubble for a while,” Broughton explained, “to be able to provide them with a safe environment to be normal is an amazing experience. And watching them catch their first fish, and exaggerate their fish sizes, and seeing them smile and act like a kid after the journey they’ve been taking, is amazing.”

The children pair up with guides, set sail, and then come back with fish in tow. The fish are measured and weighed, prizes are awarded, and the young anglers enjoy music, snow cones and games. The fishing trip, like other fun activities planned by Driscoll’s oncology department, is also a way for children to see their nurses and doctors outside the hospital.

The trips are such a hit, patients that have been off chemotherapy for years, in some cases several years, request to come back. If there’s enough room, Driscoll is happy to oblige.

Not every child is an eager adopter of the fishing lifestyle. But they quickly catch on.

“At first, they’re like… fishing, eh whatever,” Broughton said, “but when they hook a 25-inch redfish and it fights them and they reel it in, the joy on their face is just… there’s no words to describe it.”

The kids feel overwhelmed, Broughton says. Proud. If they had viewed themselves as weak before, those thoughts are far away. In a word, invincible.

This year, the talk of the trip was a small shark that was reeled in (and later painted blue).

“I take for granted that I grew up fishing, you know, my father was a fisherman. I take for granted some of these kids have never been on a boat before,” Broughton said. “Some of these kids have never reeled in a fish.”