Welcome to Jessica's Swim Across America-Boston Festival Swim Page!
I have been raising money for Swim Across America since 2012. In recent years, the cause has become a lot more personal.
OUR STORY: In January 2018, my spouse, Rick Osterberg (long time SAA volunteer and now the SAA Boston event emcee), was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. After 18 months of remission, a routine follow-up scan in June 2020 found a new small tumor located a few inches above the site of the original tumor. Here is where Swim Across America enters our story even more directly. After 4 more rounds of chemo in 2020, Rick's treatment team recommended that he try an immunotherapy drug.
Early phases of this immunotherapy's development were funded in part by early investments from a Swim Across America event! https://swimswam.com/saa-funding-contributes-fda-approval-keytruda/
The immunotherapy treatment continues to be successful, with virtually no side effects for Rick.
Rick and I were committed to Swim Across America before he was diagnosed. Now, we are fortunate enough to actually benefit from the research conducted by this organization.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
OPTION 1: DONATE: In our lifetime, 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with cancer. I joined the SAA community so that, together, we can change that. You can make a credit card donation by clicking on the "DONATE NOW" button shown in the right sidebar of this page, or you can send a check to Swim Across America - Boston, c/o Jamie Mannion, PO Box 206, 300 Broadway Lbby, Revere, MA 02151. Note: Check should be made out to Swim Across America but please include a note mentioning my name as the swimmer you are supporting!
OPTION 2: REGISTER TODAY!
OPTION 2A: SWIM ON AUG 10: SAA-Boston Swim, August 10, 2024: Participants can choose between 1/2 mile, 1 mile, and 2 mile events in a sheltered salt water environment with the option to stay in water shallow enough to stand up. Join my team, Team Festivus, or join one of our friendly rival teams, or just register on your own!
OPTION 2B: SAA MY WAY: The SAA My Way challenge allows participants to choose their own challenge -- and it doesn't have to be water-related.
OPTION 3: VOLUNTEER ON AUG 10: Click the "REGISTER" button and select "Volunteer"!
