Patty Brummet
Swim Across America – Chicago
20 years supporting Swim Across America
Age: 77
When you talk to Patty Brummet, she brings up many numbers that all have significant meaning.
197,000: Dollars she has raised for Swim Across America during her many years of supporting the nonprofit organization.
750: Miles she will bike from New York City to Raleigh, North Carolina, on Sept. 18 – Oct. 4. This is her 9th bike trek across the country.
294: Number of names she will wear on her swim cap and cycling jersey – each in honor or memory of a loved one or friend who battled cancer.
21.5: Miles she has swam in Lake Michigan at the Swim Across America Chicago open water swim.
20: Years she has swam and 10 years biked to fund a cure.
12: August 12th Swim Across America Chicago open water swim – and Patty’s 20th year she will be participating!
And when talking about her 20th year, another number comes up.
“This year I dedicate my ride and swim for five very special friends – in honor of Eileen, Leslie, Dave and Steve, who are currently battling cancer, and in memory of Berta.”
Patty feels gratitude and appreciation for every single person who has donated to her and her team, Team Life, over the years. Those friends and family members, co-workers and sometimes even strangers, are the ones who keep her motivated to bike and swim her way across the country.
“Every dollar allows research to continue to find the next miracle drug or treatment for patients like my friends,” said Patty “The money you donate today ensures that cancer research will continue, and lives will be saved. My four friends are alive today because of donors to our cause.”
Patty says it has been her lifelong dream to bike across the country and she’s found a sense of purpose in each mile. To do so for Swim Across America is even more poignant, as the organization was founded in 1987 with its very first swim, but before swimming became the mechanism to raise funds for cancer research, the founders of the organization, Matt Vossler and Jeff Keith, ran across the country.
When asked why these bike treks and swims are so meaningful to her and why she continues after all these years, Patty shares a simple response.
“Thirteen years after my dad’s death I still honor the promise I made to him the night he died – to bike across America,” noted Patty. “We never discussed the route I would take so I kept riding.”
Patty shares stories about each of her friends and their personal battles with cancer on her personal fundraising page. Read their stories and donate to Patty and Team Life here.
Swim Across America has raised $100 million since its inception in 1987 to support cancer research and clinical trials across the U.S. Please contact Jeni Howard at jhoward@jhowardpr.com for media inquiries.
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