PEOPLE OF INTEREST
ANTHONY INSWASTY
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Lin Reading co-founded an Indian River County nonprofit group that enables women with cancer to share common concerns.
BY JANIE GOULD
Lin Reading, a 20-year survivor of breast cancer and
melanoma, co-founded a cancer support organization
in Indian River County called Friends After Diagnosis
that, among other things, offers survivors an introduction to
the sport of crew rowing to help women with cancer regain
their strength.
Reading is an avid cyclist and water enthusiast who swims
a mile twice per week in the Leisure Square public pool in
Vero Beach. She cites research showing the importance of
exercise to anyone recovering from cancer.
A 10-year survey of cancer survivors by the American Association
for Cancer Research found that regular exercise after
a cancer diagnosis can reduce fatigue, depression, pain and
weight gain. Quality of life can be improved even in patients
who were inactive before their diagnosis, the study found.
Reading was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999 while
still living in her hometown, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, near
Milwaukee. She had recently remarried and was raising her
10-year-old son while working as human resources director
at a nearby women’s school, Alverno College.
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