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Longtime Paddler Brings Kayaker’s Appreciation to Southwest Washington Waters
Lee First, the co-founder of Twin Harbors Waterkeeper, has been out on the water since her first expedition in northern Ontario at age 12. She’s out kayaking or canoeing around southwest Washington every week, rain or shine.
Lee First
Lee First recently wrapped up four months of chemotherapy for bone-marrow cancer which kept her off the water for the first time in decades. “It’s kind of like torture,” First, co-founder of the nonprofit organization Twin Harbors Waterkeeper in southwest Washington, says of chemo. “It’s scary too.” The chemotherapy regimen that forced her to temporarily hang up her kayak has a 20% mortality rate, and the average lifespan of people who undergo the treatment is seven years. She also worried she wouldn’t be able to take any more of the epic boating trips month-long canoeing and kayaking expeditions she’s been d