Welcome to My Personal Page
Thank you to all who have donated already here and through Instagram! Your generosity is so appreciated and makes a difference!
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Why I'm Making Waves to Fight Cancer
Simply put - I am swimming for my family–my sister, my dad, and now my mom, and for all those whose family members are fighting or have fought cancer.
For my sister - When I was 8 years old I lost my sister, Eimear, to chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). She fought hard but cancer research was not where it is today. She was not able to get a bone marrow transplant but because of her my family registered and, after she passed away, my dad was a match and donated his bone marrow to two strangers, whose lives were significantly extended.
For my dad - Fast forward a couple of decades, my dad was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and was able to have an autologous stem cell transplant, which also extended his life. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2009 just shy of his 65th birthday.
For my mom - In May of this year (2024), my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She is currently going through treatments and is actively fighting. Swimming, and making waves, is one small way I can show my mom I'm fighting along side her. Each time I swim I wear a teal colored swimsuit as a reminder that I'm fighting with her and other woman diagnosed with Ovarian cancer.
In addition to the October Swim Across America event I am also doing a swim from Alcatraz to Aquatic Park in September (I can do hard things too!).
I'm so grateful to swim with Team Genentech to continue to do whatever I can to help save more lives and have fewer stories like that of my family.
About Swim Across America
Founded in 1987, Swim Across America has hosted charity swims with one goal: to raise money for innovative cancer research that would lead to breakthrough treatments and therapies. Since then, Swim Across America has raised over $100M to fund the next generation of pioneers in oncology and cancer-support care.
I joined Swim Across America because I believe in their mission and want to help give more families hope. If you are able, please support me by making a donation to help me reach my fundraising goal.
I'm eternally grateful for what science and research have been able to do for the patients in my life but we need to do more. Please join me in making a donation of any amount.
Thank you for helping me #MakeWavesToFightCancer.
Melissa Lewis