Landis Vance, a breast cancer survivor, usually steers clear of support groups since she has her own network.

But when she saw a free weekend of fly fishing for breast cancer survivors, the outdoor-loving Colorado native thought, “Why not?”

It was offered by a chapter of a national nonprofit organization called Casting for Recovery operating out of the greater Washington, D.C., area. Its 2 1/2-day retreat in Western Maryland provided a cathartic experience for Vance that put her more deeply in touch with her inner self.

“I was just expecting to go fishing,” she said. “From the perspective of a cancer patient, I was absolutely blown away.”

 Now a resident of Kalispell, Vance brought together a core of supporters to form Casting for Recovery — Glacier Country to organize Northwest Montana retreats for breast cancer patients. The group needs more volunteers to help raise money and work at the first retreat.

There is an organizational meeting for the group today from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Meadows clubhouse in Kalispell.

Vance said this program stands apart from many others that support breast cancer survivors.

“It’s about creating a safe space for women to connect with nature and themselves,” Vance said. “Don’t volunteer if you want to fix someone or say ‘rah-rah you can beat this thing.’”

 Growing up in Colorado, she was not new to the joys of fly fishing when she experienced Casting for Recovery. Her father taught her as a child.

“I hadn’t done it since I was 12 years old,” she said

Life led her away from the tranquility of nature when she moved to Washington, D.C., where she met and married Bill, a native Washingtonian. She spent the next 29 years working in the big city.

Her last job was as a hospital chaplain for the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. Vance also had worked with cancer patients as a Reiki master in a program at the Washington Cancer Institute.

“It’s a big thing to give comfort and quality of life,” she said. “I was involved with cancer patients long before my diagnosis eight years ago.”

After becoming a breast cancer patient, she developed a yearning to get back into the wild. Casting for Recovery offered a short escape from the metropolitan world.

Her surgeon enthusiastically gave Vance medical clearance to put her name in the lottery to attend the retreat. She said Casting for Recovery was founded by a breast surgeon and a fly fishing instructor in 1996 in Vermont.

Inspiration struck as the two realized how the motion of fly fishing mimicked the therapeutic exercises breast cancer patients perform to recover from breast surgery.

“Doing that stretching motion is really important,” Vance said. “Fishing takes your mind off the pain of the stretching.”

A founding principle of the national organization is that the natural world serves as a healing force and that cancer survivors deserve a weekend free of stress to experience something new and challenging.

Vance was impressed by the sensitivity of the various people providing instruction, counseling and medical sessions.

“First, it was very respectful of us as people,” she said. “They didn’t pander to us or talk down to us.”

The first two days were women-only group meetings where they got equipped to fish, learned skills and talked to experts about medical issues and concerns.

“You could talk about anything — like sex problems resulting from treatments. Doctors don’t talk about it,” Vance said. “It was a safe space.”

On the third day, men were allowed in as river helpers as the women put their fly fishing skills to the test. After that retreat, she said she felt much more in touch with her inner self.

Beyond the optional organized activities, the retreat created a beautiful setting where the women naturally bonded. She recalls sitting outside with a glass of wine around a large fireplace with women sharing their personal stories.

“I can’t tell you how magical it was,” she said. “I never laughed so hard as I did that weekend. It was remarkable.”

To continue that magic, Vance joined the Chesapeake Women Anglers fly fishing club to go fishing on weekends. When she and her husband moved to the Flathead Valley 3 1/2 years ago, she was disappointed to find no women’s fly fishing club.

“We live in this wonderful area,” she said.

About three years ago, Vance learned that her cancer had returned. Now in treatment for stage 4 breast cancer, she has stayed with fly fishing as a pleasurable therapy.

“It’s so healing to be on the rivers,” she said. “It’s kept me going.”

Although she found no women’s angling group here, Vance said she met “a bunch of fabulous people” at a fish entomology course at the Glacier Outdoor Center. They volunteered to become the planning committee for Casting for Recovery.

“I’m the only one who has had breast cancer,” she said. “All the others are into fly fishing or women’s health and empowerment.”

Along with the annual retreats, Vance wants to form an alumni chapter for women who enjoy the retreat and want to continue the connection. She said they could fish, have educational programs or just get together and act silly.

“Once we have the first retreat next September, we’ll develop an ongoing group,” she said.

Open volunteer positions with Casting for Recovery include media relations and fundraiser/benefit organizers along with jobs such as hanging bunting and setting up tables at the retreat at the Glacier Outdoor Center over the second weekend in September.

“It’s really healing,” Vance said. “It’s the only cancer group that focuses on how to live a full, meaningful, delicious life once you’ve been tagged with breast cancer.”

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.