SAA – Atlanta Beneficiary Publishes Ewing Sarcoma Research

Posted on March 2, 2017March 2, 2017 Posted in #DefeatCancer, Labs, NewsTagged atlantaLeave a comment

Published research leads to sharing of information which can lead to new cures to fight cancer. Swim Across America – Atlanta beneficiary researcher Dr. Thomas Cash gives credit to Swim Across America for funding his research on the correlation of Ezrin Expression Pattern and Clinical Outcomes in Ewing Sarcoma.

The authors acknowledge the Emory + Children’s Pediatric Research Biostatistics Core for their assistance with this manuscript. Research support was provided by Swim Across America and the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation/Scott Shockley Family.

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Research from SAA-Baltimore beneficiary Johns Hopkins recognized

Posted on February 2, 2017 Posted in #DefeatCancer, Labs, News, UncategorizedLeave a comment

When Johns Hopkins scientists Bert Vogelstein, Ken Kinzler, Luis Diaz and their colleagues linked certain cancers to mutations in genes that repair DNA, they may not have imagined that their findings would spark an idea that has become a crystal ball for predicting whether immunotherapy is more likely to work in a person with cancer. The $3 million in grant funding over the last decade from Swim Across America – Baltimore has played a major role in funding their idea of “mismatch repair” so more families can have hope.

Now, their work is being featured in the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Clinical Advances 2017 and you can read more about the accomplishments here and watch the patient perspective below.

Hard SAA Work Pays Off at Beneficiary Check Presentations

Posted on February 2, 2017 Posted in #DefeatCancer, Events, Fundraising, Labs, SAA on the Scene, UncategorizedTagged baltimore, beneficiaries, cancer research, check presentations, dallas, nantucket, seattle, tampaLeave a comment

Swim Across America celebrated the end of the year across the country by presenting checks to our esteemed beneficiaries. Here is a collection of smiling faces as the hard fundraising work is now seeing its impact multiplied in the fight against cancer.

14715486_10153999229471176_6832604995219048039_o — SAA – Tampa at Moffitt Cancer Center

15493732_1809136315994674_651158775955003935_o — SAA – Dallas at Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center

saa-check-presentation-dec-22-2017 — SAA – Nantucket at Nantucket Cottage Hospital and Palliative and Support Care of Nantucket

15590254_10210628819253314_8483254570832790763_n — SAA – Seattle at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

15995272_10154076568091176_631550043631371425_o — SAA – Baltimore at The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins

Team Suffolk Making Waves

Posted on December 15, 2016December 15, 2016 Posted in #DefeatCancer, Events, Fundraising, Pool Swims, UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Team Suffolk Pool Swim to Fight Cancer just had another incredible year, raising almost $50,000. The swim started in 2011, and leaders have done a great job passing on the baton to keep this SAA – Nassau-Suffolk event growing. The Lennon Family has been taking the lead the past few years and Kelly Lennon was recognized by the Huntington Town Board this year (see more below). Over the last 5 years Team Suffolk has raised more than $200,000.

Thanks to the Team Suffolk coaches (John and Frank) for embracing the event, supporting it and welcoming it as a chance for their community to come together and see their team show strength and support to family members or swimmers who might be battling cancer.

On Wednesday, Dec 7th Councilwoman Susan Berland and the Huntington Town Board presented Kelly Lennon with a proclamation for her efforts organizing Team Suffolk’s annual Swim Across America Pool Swim. Kelly has participated in each event, and was the team organizer the last two years. Kelly has personally raised over $35,000 for SAA. Kelly is an accomplished swimmer and will be attending SUNY Geneseo in the fall and swimming for Coach Paul Dotterweich and his BlueWave. Congrats Kelly!

Show Off Your SAA Pride on LinkedIn

Posted on September 26, 2016September 28, 2016 Posted in #DefeatCancer, Corporate Partners, Fundraising, Labs, News, SAA Pride, UncategorizedLeave a comment

We appreciate your time, fundraising and participation as part of the Swim Across America family. As our organization grows, we will reach out from time to time to ask you to help us tell our story as a leader in cancer research funding.

If you have participated, volunteered or donated to Swim Across America, and you have a profile on LinkedIn, list Swim Across America under your volunteer activities. When you identify Swim Across America, our logo will come up next to your activity. We suggest you select the “health” option from the cause drop down. In the text box, identify what role you played and which swim(s). For example, if you participated, volunteered or donated to Tampa, identify as SAA – Tampa. You can list several swims if you have provided support over the years. LinkedIn is an ideal community for you to showcase causes that you support and we would be honored to have you recognize Swim Across America in your profile.

Step 1: Select “VIEW MORE”

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Step 2: Select “VOLUNTEERING EXPERIENCE”

Step 3: Enter “Swim Across America, Inc” and fill in the details of your experience!

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Saving Lives at the Johns Hopkins Swim Across America Lab

Posted on September 22, 2016September 23, 2016 Posted in #DefeatCancer, Fundraising, LabsTagged cancer, fundraising, Johns Hopkins, open water swim, swimmingLeave a comment

Stefanie Joho joined SAA – Baltimore this year to share her uplifting story. Four years ago at 22-years old she was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer. Stefanie went through repeated chemo with no positive response, and the cancer spread to stage 4. Her doctors gave her weeks to live. Desperate and not willing to give up, her sister googles and finds Dr. Luis Diaz at our beneficiary Johns Hopkins Medicine.

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Dr. Diaz told Joho to come immediately to JHU where she participates in an immunotherapy clinical trial of Keytruda funded–yes funded–by your donations to Swim Across America. The trial saved her life (she has “no evidence of disease NED”), she has a bright future and Keytruda is now FDA approved. Read Stefanie’s story in the New York Times and if you are inspired by the work being done through Swim Across America labs, please consider donating to SAA: http://bit.ly/SAAdonation.

Genetic tests for mismatch repair deficiency are commercially available. But insurers might not pay for the drugs — Keytruda and Opdivo cost $150,000 a year — based on such a small study. The study was paid for by Swim Across America and other charities, and the National Institutes of Health. – New York Times

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$200,000 to Fund Research at Tampa Moffitt Leads to $3M in New Funding from NCI

Posted on August 12, 2016August 15, 2016 Posted in #DefeatCancer, Fundraising, Labs, News, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Immunotherapy approaches are designed to stimulate the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer and can result in responses lasting for years. One strategy to improve immune responses against tumors is to isolate immune cells from the tumor, grow the cells to very large numbers in the laboratory, then transfer them back to the patient as adoptive cell therapy (ACT). At the Tampa Moffitt Cancer Center, patients with metastatic melanoma have been treated with ACT in clinical trials. At the time of the initiation of these trials, the expected survival time for stage IV metastatic melanoma patients was 6-9 months. Currently, patients treated on the ACT trial are tumor-free at 46, 52, 54, 57, 59 and 66 months. Funding from Swim Across America has led to the development of additional clinical trials in patients with metastatic melanoma that combines ACT with other immunotherapy approaches that is expected to boost results even further. The crucial funding from Swim Across America has allowed for the development of improved ACT strategies resulting in additional awards to Drs. Amod Sarnaik and Shari Pilon-Thomas totaling greater than $3 million. These awards include a National Cancer Institute K23 training grant, an American Cancer Society Research Scholar grant, and a sponsored Research Agreement with Lion Biotechnologies.

Picture 1 L-R: Dr. Amod Sarnaik, Dr. Shari Pilon-Thomas
Picture 2 L-R: Dr. Shari Pilon-Thomas, Dr. Amod Sarnaik

SAA Hits Vegas with 7-Eleven

Posted on August 8, 2016 Posted in #DefeatCancer, 7-Eleven FOA, Corporate Partners, Events, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Swim Across America was excited to participate in the National Coalition of Associations of 7-Eleven Franchisees (NCASEF) Convention in Las Vegas. See if you can spot Olympic gold medalist Tyler Clary representing SAA at the golf tournament.

Day 2 of the NCASEF Convention in Las Vegas had the Swim Across America team and Olympic Gold Medalist Tyler Clary representing the great partnership that SAA has with the National Coalition of Associations of 7-Eleven Franchisees.

The convention concluded with a banquet that included a speech by SAA’s Rob Butcher on the impact of the partnership we have with NCASEF in the fight against cancer.

SAA Family Tree (August)

Posted on August 8, 2016August 8, 2016 Posted in #DefeatCancer, Events, Family Tree, News, UncategorizedLeave a comment

SAA Family Tree is a monthly focus on stories that display the impact all the members of the Swim Across America family have both locally and nationally. If you have a story or link you’d like to share, please send here.

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Olympians Kristy Kowal and Heather Petri are mentioned in the same breath as Taylor Swift in this Boston Herald wrap-up.
SAA – Atlanta’s Event Director Megan Melgaard and Olympian Doug Gjertsen stopped by CBS46 to get everyone to Lake Lanier Islands on Sept. 17.
Brian Boyle writes #WhyISwim for the Huffington Post – look for Brian at SAA -Baltimore.
SAA – Atlanta’s Sheri Hart makes waves in Simply Buckhead magazine.
WGN came out to Ohio Street Beach to film SAA – Chicago.
Dr. Julie Granger of SAA – Atlanta fights cancer, fear to help other swimmers. (Atlanta INTown)
SAA – Seattle and its impact on cancer research in the community is profiled in 425 Magazine.
Mel Smith of SAA – Seattle isn’t planning on quitting swimming at 73.
FiOS1 covered SAA Greenwich – Stamford.

Pool Swims Across America

Posted on August 8, 2016 Posted in #DefeatCancer, Fundraising, Pool Swims, UncategorizedLeave a comment

In Pool Swims Across America, we feature local pool swims that raise awareness for cancer research. If you’re interested in getting your local swim team or pool involved, learn more here.

June 21: Garden City Pool Swim

11-year old Alexandra Eldredge raised over $2,000 in her fifth year supporting SAA.

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July 10: Mudpuppies Swim Across America Memorial Event for Dr. Brian Goldman

Thank you to our Olympians, National Team alums, Masters swimmers and host Mary DeMilia for the Mudpuppies pool clinic to Fight Cancer‬ — it raised $6,600 in honor of Dr. Brian Goldman, who founded the Mudpuppies.

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July 13: Heather Stark’s B’nai Mitzvah Cancer Defeat

Shoutout to Heather for hosting a SAA pool swim as her B’nai Mitzvah project in Ivyland, PA – great job, Heather!

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July 21: Stardust Pool Swim to Fight Cancer

It was a great evening for the 6th annual Stardust Pool Swim to Fight Cancer in Morris Township, N.J. The event aimed raised over $15K for the SAA lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Thanks to Dr. Taha Mexghoub from MSK for speaking to all the swimmers!