On Saturday, September 7, hundreds of swimmers will Make Waves to Fight Cancer at the 16th annual Swim Across America – Seattle community swim. One of the swimmers diving in is 57-year-old Kristin Lamson of Olympia, Washington. Kristin is a breast cancer survivor and has been participating in the SAA – Seattle open water swim with her family and friends that make up “Team Pisty” for the past nine years.
“I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015,” noted Kristin. “I found Swim Across America in 2016, amidst multiple surgeries and treatment. I was a swimmer growing up and was looking to feel like myself. The Swim Across America – Seattle swim was a welcome reminder that my body could still do things and be strong. That first year, I was flanked by my older sister Jen and my younger brother Johnny. We didn’t know much about Swim Across America – but we were both blown away and inspired by the event and the other survivors/families/friends swimming and their personal stories. I was a puddle! But it felt good and it was fun, despite being pretty emotional.”
Kristin and her family were so energized by their first swim with SAA – Seattle that they returned the next year with a bigger perspective and bigger crew, including their younger sister Julie, and kids, nieces and nephews, spouses and friends.
“My sister and co-captain Julie has become a driving force for our team,” said Kristin. “She is our most successful fundraiser and travels all the way from Massachusetts every year to participate. As a person with developmental disabilities, her leadership and determination to conquer the challenges of open water swimming, along with her unwavering enthusiasm, are especially inspiring to all of us.”
This year, Team Pisty is back with Kristin’s siblings, family and friends and will be swimming not only to celebrate Kristin’s survivorship, but also in honor of their cousin Nancy, who is currently battling cancer, and in memory of their cousin Cheryl, whom they lost to cancer in 2019.
Raising funds for cancer research is the primary goal of the swim. In its past 15 years, SAA – Seattle has raised more than $5 million for the swim’s local beneficiary, the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, which has gone directly to fund early stage research and clinical trials.
“Our small, but mighty team has raised close to $60,000 over the years,” exclaimed Kristin. “For me personally, paying it forward is my way of expressing gratitude to all those who came before me to raise money for research and treatments. I am a survivor because others stepped up.”
Kristin also noted that participating in the SAA – Seattle open water swim has given her family an opportunity to celebrate and honor many loved ones who have experienced the pain and loss of cancer. “We also have created some fun family traditions around the swim: a pasta feed the night before, bloodies on the beach, and a massive sleepover and food shindig at sister Jen’s (and husband Ric’s) house post-swim. We have had fish fries, seafood boils, taco nights and more! Having fun while doing good is a family thing!”
If you are moved to support Team Pisty, click here.
Swim Across America – Seattle is proud to note the recent accomplishments of two of their funded researchers. Fred Hutch Cancer Center and Kugel Lab postdoctoral fellow Stephanie Dobersch, PhD, received an American Cancer Society Fellowship to study a highly lethal form of pancreatic cancer, known as basal pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). Dr. Dobersch’s two-year, $146,000 ACS Fellowship will enable her to understand how a unique genetic program drives basal PDA and discover the subtype’s potential therapeutic vulnerabilities. Dr. Emily Liang received the ASCO Young Investigator Award for her research on a therapy that tunes a patient’s own immune system to better fight cancer. A clinical trial is underway testing whether a medication used in rheumatoid arthritis can reduce the inflammation of CAR T-cell therapy. Dr. Liang will use her one-year, $50,000 to fund experiments on samples from blood and lymph node tumors collected during the clinical trial.
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