Zeroing Out Cancer with Swim Across America

How familiar are you with Swim Across America? Until the last few weeks, I knew little more than that it was involved in fundraising for cancer research. After participating in the SAA-San Francisco on Oct 1, I’m not only far more familiar with the organization and the wonderful work it performs, I’m committing to deeper involvement and support. I’m encouraging TI swimmers and coaches to investigate, and if there is a Swim event near where you live, to consider participating, as a swimmer or volunteer.

Next year will be Swim Across America’s 30^th year. In that time, it’s grown from a single event in Nantucket MA to 18 open water swims plus dozens of pool swims across America. It has raised more money for cancer research each year, and is now approaching $70 million total.

Those who swim in a SAA event are always familiar with the effect of their efforts and contributions have because all money raised through SAA events stays local.  By swimming in an SAA event you improve the odds for cancer patients—today and tomorrow–in your own city.

So why did I swim in San Francisco? My close friend Susan Helmrich, lives in Berkeley CA but her mother lives in Woodland Pond, the senior living center in New Paltz where my students 98 year old Dr. Paul Lurie and swimming legend Marilyn Bell DiLascio reside. Susan visits her mother quite frequently. During those visits, a shared interest in swimming has brought her into close contact with Paul and Marilyn. Susan—an avid Masters swimmer–and I meet to share a swim nearly every time she visits.

Susan takes a selfie.

During our years of friendship I learned that Susan was a 3-time cancer survivor, her first bout being a reproductive cancer nearly 40 years ago at age 21, and her most recent neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer in 2009.  Each time, swimming was an essential part of her return to vibrant health. And since becoming co-chairman (with Anthony DuComb) of SAA-SF 10 years ago, organizing that event has grown into a year-round personal mission.

Susan has urged me for several years to come visit her and husband Richard Levine (both attended a TI workshop nearly 20 years ago, long before we met) in Berkeley. After my own cancer diagnosis, it became clear that the perfect occasion to visit Susan and Rich would be to swim as part of Team Susan Survives.

On Oct 1, 350 swimmers boarded to San Francisco Spirit Hornblower yacht to cruise to our dropoff point just east of the Golden Gate Bridge. On the 40-minute trip, dozens of current cancer patients and cancer survivors told moving stories of why they swim. Before we jumped in, each of us had the opportunity to drop a flower into the Bay to dedicate our swim to the memory of a friend or loved one who’d succumbed to cancer. Nearly everyone did so.

Our swim was 1.5 miles (there was also a half-mile option) to Yacht Harbor. There was a huge flotilla of support craft, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards for safety and guidance. This was not a race, but a friendly ‘swim together.’ There were dozens of Swim Angels—many of them former Olympians–to accompany anyone who wanted the comfort of an experienced escort. And a group of four former Women’s Water Polo Olympians, led by SAA-SF honorary chair Heather Petri, passed a water polo ball back and forth during their 1.5-mile swim in choppy waters!

In total SAA-SF raised over $600,000 (Team Susan Survives raised over $100,000 of that total) to support the work of The Center for Cancer Research at Children’s Hospital Oakland, led by Dr Julie Saba, who is herself battling an aggressive form of leukemia; and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital and Dr. Rob Goldsby of the UCSF Survivor Program. The day before the swim, 18 Olympians spent hours with children in the cancer wards of both hospitals.

Next year I plan to return to SAA-SF and to participate in a NY-area event, and do all I can to support SAA’s aims generally. Donations are still welcome for the completed event. If you’d like to help this most worthy organization, please visit my page.

Zero Cancer Update

On Sept 12, I had a whole-body PET scan. For this scan, I was injected with a radioactive glucose solution. (How radioactive? I was advised to stay away from small children for 24 hours.) The glucose travels straight to cancer cells (one reason refined sugars are a dietary no-no for cancer patients). The radioactive element causes active tumors to light up like a Christmas tree on the scan.

Nothing on my scan lit up, meaning whatever tumors I had are inactive at the moment. My oncologist used the welcome words “in remission” to describe my status. This brought peace of mind because my sense of health has declined over the last six weeks, which led to concern that my cancer was advancing despite chemotherapy. I now understand it’s likely this was from the accumulating effect of having ‘poison’ in my system.

The scan did show extensive scar tissue in my pelvis (I do have increasing discomfort there) from formerly cancerous cells that are now dead bone cells. There were also spots on three vertebrae and two ribs. It’s possible for this scar tissue to regenerate into healthy bone cells. I’ll do all I can to help along that process.

Though one effect of the chemo is that my stamina is significantly less than it was even two months ago in mid-summer, I’ve continued swimming regularly, albeit seldom more than 1600m and quite slowly. Even so I was able to swim open water events the last three weekends.

Prior to the SAA 1.5-miler (TI Coach Stuart McDougal also swam), I swam a 5K club swim with CIBBOWS (Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers) from Breezy Point in Queens to Coney Island in Brooklyn on Sept 17 and a 2-mile race between Coney Island and Brighton Beach on Sept 24.

This doesn’t quite complete my 2016 Open Water calendar. On Nov 3-5 I will swim portions of 3Days, 3Seas—a series of 10K swims in the Red Sea and Mediterranean, organized by TI Israel.