I am swimming the two-mile distance on September 7th in honor of my amazing friends Lesley Allan and Dana Tonkin. Both are cancer survivors and brave beyond what most of us experience. Lesley has battled colon cancer twice. She is an amazing woman, mom, wife, aunt, friend, and champion of reaching her goals in life and work. Dana has battled breast cancer on top of living with rheumatoid arthritis. She is vibrant, resilient, and a true fighter for all that she believes in.

I am also swimming as part of a team, team SPLASHForward, a nonprofit that I co-founded to bring new public aquatics facilities to our region so that everyone can be safer in and around water, find joy in all things water-based and live healthier lives through aquatics and community connection. This includes creating a place for cancer patients to receive aquatic therapy and participate in wellness activities in a community environment.

In our lifetime, 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with cancer. This means that every one of us has been touched by cancer either through a loved one or friend. I joined the Swim Across America community so that, together, we can change the statistics and find a cure.

If you are able, please support me, Lesley, and Dana by making a gift and if you are signed up consider joining our SPLASHForward team. The researchers we are funding are in our community (Seattle Cancer Care Alliance) and are the next generation of cancer pioneers. Without Swim Across America early stage funding, they are not able to conduct trials that can lead to breakthroughs that can save lives. Thank you for helping make an impact in the fight to find a cure!