800+ swimmers and volunteers come together for New England’s largest ocean swim event to support cancer research at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island

Swim Across America – Rhode Island is Making Waves to Fight Cancer by celebrating the 15th anniversary of its open water swim on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at Roger Wheeler State Beach, in the protective waters of the Point Judith Harbor of Refuge in scenic Narragansett, Rhode Island. This event is Swim Across America’s largest in the country, with more than 800 participants and three dozen fundraising teams — half from New England colleges — uniting to support promising cancer research at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island (WIH), the local event beneficiary.

There are four swim options: a one-mile or half-mile course for ages 13 and up (younger swimmers require approval), a quarter-mile course for ages 9 to 12, and a new Splash & Dash for ages 12 and under. Alternatively, you can support the event as a SAA My Way virtual participant or onsite volunteer. To register for the event in any of these capacities or to donate visit swimacrossamerica.org/rhodeisland.

In the past 15 years, Swim Across America – Rhode Island has raised more than $2.5 million for ovarian and breast cancer research. This funding has helped researchers at the WIH Program in Women’s Oncology Center for Biomarkers & Emerging Technology Program discover a biomarker for ovarian cancer and introduce to clinical practice an algorithm that estimates with specificity the risk of ovarian cancer in women with a pelvic mass. This test is now used worldwide and is a game changer for women with ovarian cancer, which is notoriously difficult to diagnose at an early stage when it is most treatable. This research has since expanded to study the function of the biomarker within cancer cells and the use of novel therapeutics that target the biomarker. Find more information here.

“Everyone who supports Swim Across America can be proud of the collective impact we’ve had on cancer research and treatment breakthroughs,” said Douglas Sayles, co-director of the Swim Across America – Rhode Island event. “Sadly, cancer touches everyone one way or another, but the research we fund and the sense of community we create through our events provide hope that real strides are being made toward new and better treatments. That’s the spirit of Swim Across America … there is hope.” 

To register to swim or volunteer or to donate, visit swimacrossamerica.org/rhodeisland.