Cancer is something that families all across America deal with. Finding a cure for cancer and funding research is something I am incredibly passionate about, as I have seen people that I love battle through it. This year I am swimming the mile in honor of my Uncle Steve, who passed away from cancer in 2022. 

Steve was a great person, and I have so many fond memories from family parties and he and my Aunt Diane's 4th of July celebrations, to him coming over to watch me when I was little. In 2019, he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, and went through treatment of chemo and radiation, as well as a clinical trial. While he had what seemed like a brief reprieve from the disease, he unfortunately received a secondary diagnosis of peritoneal cancer in 2021. This is a cancer that forms in the inside cells of your abdomen and covers the organs contained in your abdomen. Peritoneal is not only rare, with fewer than 7 in one million cases each year, but it only gives patients around 11-17 months to live. After an incredibly hard and tiring fight with cancer, he passed away in December of 2022 at the age of 68. His memory lives on and I am proud to be swimming for a fundraiser that will contribute to finding a cure to something he fought so hard to try and conquer. 

If you are able to, please donate and support those who suffer from cancer, and help researchers work towards greater treatments. Thank you! #MakeWavesToFightCancer