On Saturday, August 3rd, I will be swimming the 1-mile open water swim at the Sound to Cove (STC) Swim to Fight Cancer at Prybil Beach in Glen Cove, NY.  My children, Elizabeth and Andrew will be swimming with me again this year.

My children know that the day of the STC is my favorite day of the year. I get to do what I love, open water swim and celebrate another year cancer free with them. This is a special year for me because in October, I will celebrate 20 years cancer free. 

During a routine eye exam in January 2004, my optometrist noticed a growth in my right eye.  After several appointments with ophthalmology specialists, I was referred to an ocular oncologist because they thought I had a melanoma in my eye.  

Due to the risk, biopsies are not done on the eyes. I was referred to an oncologist so that I could be staged.  The idea is that if you have cancer elsewhere in your body they can biopsy that tumor and determine if the ocular melanoma metastasized.  I had many tests including a brain MRI, and a PET CT with no evidence of cancer.  The oncologist also asked that I see a dermatologist for a full body check of my skin. 

Between January and April, I had so many doctor's appointments and scans, I forgot about the dermatologist until I was preparing to see the ocular oncologist for my 6-month checkup.  

When I found the script for the full body check I made an appointment with a dermatologist that I had seen in the past who had recently joined Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). He removed a mole on my upper right thigh that I had for as long as I could remember. It was melanoma. 

Even though the melanoma had started to spread, the location allowed the surgeon at MSKCC to go as deep as needed to get a clean margin.  Fortunately, there was no lymph node involvement.  I was told my 5-year life expectancy was 80% and that no further treatment was effective on melanoma. Daunting news when you have two small children, ages 6 and 4.  

Twenty years later, thanks to fundraising organizations like Swim Across America and research conducted by our beneficiaries, there are many treatment options for melanoma patients which greatly increase their life expectancy and quality of life. 

I am thankful to be here today, to have seen both my children graduate from college and to swim in the STC every year with them.  When they were little, they used to eat bagels while waiting for me to come ashore.  Now they enter the water with me and wait for me to come ashore since they both swim faster than me.      

There are many people that I swim in memory of starting with my dad, Thomas Joseph Perito who died of lung cancer in May 2003.  His passing is what inspired me to swim the STC for the first time in August 2003.

I swim for Thomas Brophy. I swim for Joseph Terranova. I swim for Tom Misuraca.  I swim for Bob Matin. I swim for JoAnn DiMaso. I swim for Paul DiMaso. I swim for Catherine Tesoriero. I swim for Sister Kathleen Monahan. I swim for Patti Ford. I swim for David Weiss. I swim for Bill Bishofberger. I swim for Karen Kribs. I swim for Joe Henehan. I swim for Ezra Eralp. I swim for William Ryder. I swim for John Talercio. I swim for Christian Bullock.  I swim for Larry Stenson. 

I swim for all the cancer survivors that live from scan to scan in the hope that they will remain cancer free.

I swim for all the people who will be diagnosed with cancer this year in the hope that there are effective treatment options for their form of cancer. 

Please consider supporting Swim Across America Nassau/Suffolk with a donation so that the research of our beneficiaries can continue to discover new treatment options and find a cure for cancer.

Thank you for your support,

Catherine