When Stewart Brown, a Colorado dentist, was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2000, he naturally sought out the best in medical care — doctors, oncologists, radiologists, chemo, drugs. But during the three years he battled the disease he also self-medicated by immersing himself in the natural world. 

Imagine a hospital — bright and harshly lit, cold, sterile, a place of technology, order and schedules. Now imagine its absolute opposite — that’s a place you’d dream about if you were going through treatment. For Stewart, a keen fly fisher, a Colorado trout stream quietly winding through the foothills of the Rockies, full of river life and healthy trout, was his best place.

Fishing’s real gift is to immerse you in nature as a participant, not as a passive observer. Even though the vast majority of fly fishermen practice catch-and-release, to be successful you have to develop a hunter’s mindset, know something about insect hatches and the daily rounds of the fish you’re chasing, how they’re affected by weather and stream hydrology, not to mention the technical skills of concealment, fly selection, and casting. It’s all-absorbing. No time to think about anything else, like a pesky disease. The non-fisher marvels at the boredom tolerance of the average angler; the angler can’t believe eight hours could pass so quickly.

Stewart wrung so much peace and simple pleasure from his fly-fishing trips he became determined to help other cancer survivors have the same experience. Though his illness progressed, a group of friends and fellow anglers joined together in his last year to help him establish Reel Recovery. 

Seeing a relative gap in recovery services targeted to men, Reel Recovery was formed to offer free fly-fishing retreats for any male diagnosed with any type of cancer or in any stage of recovery. Each two-and-a-half-day retreat focuses on introducing newcomers to the sport or improving the skills of those more experienced. Women, incidentally, shouldn’t feel left out — there’s a thriving nonprofit called Casting for Recovery that offers a similar benefit to female fly fishers.

Each participant is matched to a volunteer for instruction and guidance during the trip; though they might be expert anglers, none of the volunteers fish themselves, their sole focus is on providing the richest possible experience for the participant.

Reel Recovery only has three paid staff members — it relies on a network of volunteers and state coordinators from local fishing communities and the generosity of lodges and facilities all over the country. 

Just as important as the fishing, is an effort to make the retreats a supportive space for conversations about what it means to live with cancer and to nurture a sense of camaraderie among the attendees. This is formalized by opening and closing ceremonies, group conversations led by professional therapists, and post-retreat outreach to foster the Reel Recovery community. 

That men can be tight-lipped and stoic about their fears and pain is no secret: the hope is that a mix of fellowship, shared interest in fly fishing and the simple, restorative magic of wading into a lovely piece of water can begin to break down the isolation and anxiety often caused by cancer. 

Since its inception in 2003, Reel Recovery has hosted 346 retreats attended by 3,750 participants. In 2021 the organization held 17 retreats in 15 states, and for the first time international retreats in Australia and New Zealand. 

Stewart Brown was just healthy enough to attend the first ever retreat in June 2003 organized by the group he breathed life into. Stewart and the group gathered in Loveland, Colorado, and he was able to set a standard by sharing some of the pain and emotional toll of his own journey with cancer. And then they probably did what all fishermen do — poked some gentle fun at the guy who’d caught the smallest fish.