It's been 29 years since I was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and had a bone marrow transplant that saved my life. Now I am swimming a 2k in the LI Sound to raise money for the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering, the unit and the hospital that essentially saved my life.

I started doing the 2K open water swim with Swim Across America twelve years ago, right after I had my daughter Grace, and I have done the swim almost every year since.  It's such a privilege to push my body and remind myself that I am strong and healthy.  During the very long swim (it usually takes me about 75 minutes), my mind often drifts to the many things that have happened since I was sick; all the things I've gotten to do that I wasn't sure I would get to.  

When I was diagnosed with CML in 1994 I was 22 years old, just a year out of college.  At the time, the survival rate for leukemia was only about 20%. Yep, 20%.  And that was if you had a perfect match, which thank God I did with my little sister Danielle.  If you didn't have a match, the survival rate was zero.  There were essentially no options to save your life.  However, over the 29 years since then, there have been so many incredible advances in treatments for patients with leukemia.  Survival rates are much better and patients' options during the treatment are so much better.  So many more options for patients.  So many more survivors.  This is why I am swimming. 

I am so proud that since I started participating in SAA in 2012, I have personally raised over $30,000 and my team (Team Transplant) has raised much much more.  The captain of my team is one of the doctors that treated me all those years ago.  So, it's an honor to swim with him and raise money for this cause.  Again, all the money our team raises goes directly to the Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center - the hospital and program that saved my life.  I cannot think of a cause that is more personal to me and my family.  So, I am hoping you will donate if you can.  

--Nicole