My sister - Kimberly Lawrence Netter - lost her 11 year battle with breast cancer in 2001 at the age of 44. She was the bright center of our family and the loss was devastating. Shortly after she passed, Kim's mother and father in law (Edward and Barbara Netter) founded the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) to change the way we treat cancer and improve treatment outcomes by funding researchers doing early stage research on the use of gene and cell therapies to cure cancer. 

When Swim Across America (SAA) partnered with ACTG in 2007, I knew it would be a succuessful collaboration and the perfect oppotunity for me to get involved, help fund valuable research, and participate in an event that featured something Kim and I we both loved - swimming. This will be my 17th year swimming at Swim Across America Fairfield. In this time SAA funding has played a major role in teh clinical devleopment and FDA approval of four immunotherapies to treat cancer - ipilimumab (Yervoy), nivolumab (Opdivo), pembrolizumab (Keytruda), and atezolizumab (Tecnentriq). 

This year, I will be swimming to honor two dear friends and their current battle with cancer - Nancy Carr, co-chair extraordinaire of SAA Fairfield, and my old college friend and spirit animal, Vikki Beach. Please support my swim by making a donation. The researchers we are funding are the next generation of cancer pioneers. ACGT/SAA's early stage funding of innovative treatments has lead to breakthroughs that will save lives. Thank you for helping make an impact in the fight to find a cure for cancer. Let's keep making waves!

Craig Lawrence