Read or watch local stories featuring the Swim Across America-Denver community to learn about their impact. Learn more about the event and beneficiary, Children’s Hospital Colorado, at swimacrossamerica.org/denver.
Read or watch local stories featuring the Swim Across America – Fairfield County community to learn about their impact. Learn more about the event and beneficiary, Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, at swimacrossamerica.org/fc.
Read or watch local stories featuring the Swim Across America – Charleston-Kiawah community to learn about their impact. Learn more about the event and beneficiary, Hollings Cancer Center, at swimacrossamerica.org/charleston.
Rick Osterberg’s connection to Swim Across America was initiated similarly to that of so many other members of the Swim Across America community. It’s his journey over the last six years that sets him apart from many other participants.
Rick and his wife, Jessica Stokes, are lifelong swimmers, both swimming competitively in college and continuing to swim as USMS masters swimmers. They met during Masters workouts at Harvard University nearly 25 years ago. Their involvement with Swim Across America began about 15 years ago when they heard about the organization and knew many people involved in the Swim Across America – Boston community swim.
Although he admits that Jessica is the more dedicated swimmer, Rick has played several roles over the years eventually leading to a role on the local leadership committee for Swim Across America – Boston.
“I was an occasional walk-up volunteer for the Swim Across America – Nantasket swim whenever Jess was swimming it,” said Rick.
“I got much more involved when we launched the Swim Across America – Boston Relay Challenge at Harvard in 2012, acting as the emcee, DJ, and scoreboard person.”
Jessica Stokes and Rick Osterberg at the 2023 Swim Across America – Boston open water swim.
Rick remained a volunteer with Swim Across America – Boston for several years and took on an official role on the local committee in 2018. Jessica is also on the committee and leads their relationship with their beneficiaries, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and MassGeneral Children’s Cancer Center.
Their involvement took on more purpose in 2018, when Rick received a diagnosis of stage three colon cancer. While this deepened their connection to the Swim Across America mission, Rick didn’t see anything particularly extraordinary about his treatment plan.
Rick Osterberg with Pam Ryan, Swim Across America Board Chair, and Janel Jorgensen McArdle, Olympian and Swim Across America COO at the 2018 Swim Across America – Boston pool swim.
“In 2018, my perspective and Jess’ perspective on Swim Across America changed when I was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer. Suddenly, I was a patient. In 2018, I felt a much deeper connection to the overall mission of SAA, but not necessarily to any particular SAA beneficiary,” said Rick.
Rick’s diagnosis was, in his words, rather traditional though he was moved by the amount of support within his SAA-Boston community that year.
“It was deeply humbling to attend the 2018 Boston pool relay, during chemotherapy, and see so many people who were swimming for me,” said Rick.
“That event in 2018 remains one of the most moving experiences of my cancer journey. It was a huge boost to me, and a huge boost to Jess, during one of the harder phases of that treatment process. It also helped to turn a difficult experience into a hopeful direction through fundraising.”
Rick spent 2018 battling cancer with Jess at his side. He went through chemotherapy, chemo-radiation therapy, and finally surgery, and was in full remission by the end of the year.
They both looked forward to the April 2019 Swim Across America – Boston pool relay with Rick resuming his usual responsibilities as emcee and DJ. He added another “role” to his list that day – cancer success story.
Team Rick at the 2018 Swim Across America – Boston pool swim.
“I had beaten it, which was a great reason for many people to come and swim. It was an incredibly moving day and special because it ended up being our last pool relay before COVID,” said Rick.
The COVID-19 pandemic halted in-person events for 2020, which meant Rick and Jessica would miss out on the SAA-Boston event. Rick kept up with his routine scans and in June 2020, scans detected a small growth on a lymph node indicating his cancer had returned. Fortunately for Rick, FDA approval of a new immunotherapy drug had just been announced and it seemed like Rick was a great candidate for this new treatment.
Rick Osterberg and Jessica Stokes at the 2018 Swim across America – Boston pool swim. “I was in the middle of cycle 6 (of 8) of pretty hard chemotherapy. But we still found opportunities for joy, and the 2018 pool relay was one of those days of joy for both of us,” Rick shared.
“Suddenly, I was a candidate for Keytruda,” said Rick. “And the KEYNOTE-177 clinical trial results changed my cancer trajectory.”
“At this point, I’m now a Keytruda patient. I have virtually zero side-effects, and I have an incredibly high quality of life.”
Thanks to this new immunotherapy treatment, Rick’s cancer is virtually eliminated. He has avoided further surgical intervention that could carry significant risk of serious side effects or lower quality of life.
Rick’s commitment to Swim Across America was deepened when he realized the connection between the organization and the clinical trials that led to Keytruda’s FDA approval. The Swim Across America – Baltimore community swim benefits Johns Hopkins Medicine and grants from the 2015, 2016, and 2017 events funded groundbreaking research in immunotherapies, specifically PD-1 inhibitors. This research led to the FDA approval of Keytruda.
“After being part of an organization for so long, I was now a direct beneficiary of the research funded by SAA. I am one of a cohort of cancer patients who has experienced the necessary awfulness of chemotherapy, and the dramatically different journey on immunotherapy therapies,” shared Rick.
“I have been on my cancer journey for more than 6 years now, and in that short time, I have seen so many breakthroughs in treatment, but I also see so many cases where better options are needed for friends whose treatment paths are much more difficult than mine has been.”
Rick feels incredibly fortunate to be where he is on his cancer journey, thanks in part to research funded by Swim Across America. He feels hopeful about the next big breakthrough that will give hope to more patients and their families.
When reflecting on the vast differences between how his cancer was treated, Rick underscores his remarkably high quality of life, and why he and Jessica continue to support Swim Across America.
Rick served as emcee for the 2022 Swim Across America – Boston open water swim.
“Due in large part to research funded by Swim Across America, my cancer journey right now is not much more than an appointment on the calendar. My quality of life in treatment is virtually 100%,” said Rick.
“Perhaps more importantly our cancer journey (including Jess) is no big deal right now. Our quality of shared life is virtually 100%. That’s difficult to appreciate unless you’ve been through chemotherapy, or have been a close supporter of someone going through chemotherapy.”
Combined and over the years, Rick and Jessica have raised over $156,000 for Swim Across America.
If you are moved to support Rick and Jessica, click here.
Read or watch local stories featuring the Swim Across America-Tampa community to learn about their impact. Learn more about the event and beneficiary, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, at swimacrossamerica.org/tampa.
Read or watch local stories featuring the Swim Across America-Nashville community to learn about their impact. Learn more about the event and beneficiary, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, at swimacrossamerica.org/nashville.
Read or watch local stories featuring the Swim Across America-Florida Keys community to learn about their impact. Learn more about the event and beneficiary, Miami Cancer Institute, at swimacrossamerica.org/floridakeys.
Swim Across America is proud to support promising research dedicated to cancer detection, prevention and treatments and has a proven track record of granting the brightest and boldest in the field.
The latest success story comes from Dr. Ajay Goel, who received a grant for pancreatic detection research from Swim Across America in collaboration with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the Lustgarten Foundation.
Through a separate study at Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Dr. Goel shared promising results from an early-detection method for identifying two stages of pancreatic cancers. The liquid biopsy test was found to detect 97% of stage I and stage II pancreatic cancers in hundreds of volunteers.
“These data highlight the urgent, unmet clinical need to identify and develop diagnostic methods that could precisely detect pancreatic cancer at its earliest stages, when the disease is still confined to the pancreas and surgical resection is still an option,” said Ajay Goel, Ph.D., M.S., AGAF.
Ajay Goel, Ph.D., M.S., AGAF
The researchers collected blood samples from each person and tested the expression of a set of small genes called microRNAs within the blood and encapsulated within exosomes found in the blood. Exosomes are small vesicles that are shed by both cancerous and healthy cells in the blood.Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths, behind colon and lung cancers, with the number of deaths increasing year after year.
This remarkable statistic fuels the need for groundbreaking research like Dr. Goel’s.
“When non-profits combine powers, humanity wins,” said Rob Butcher, CEO of Swim Across America.
“Swim Across America gives thanks to the incredible work of cutting-edge doctors, like Dr. Goel and his team, who are giving more families hope in the fight against cancer.”
Swim Across America is a national organization and offers open water and pool swims in 24 communities, from Boston Harbor to under the Golden Gate Bridge. Founded in 1987, Swim Across America has raised more than $100 million in the fight against cancer.
To learn more about Swim Across America and to register to swim, volunteer or donate, visit swimacrossamerica.org.
Swimmers, Boaters, Volunteers Make Waves in the Fight Against Cancer
CHARLESTON, S.C., April 4, 2024 — Swim Across America – Charleston-Kiawah is #makingwaves to #fightcancer! Celebrating its 7th year, this year’s swim will be held Saturday, June 8, 2024, at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Night Heron Park on Kiawah Island, South Carolina. There are three swim options available: a half-mile or a one-and-a-half mile open water option or a same day pool swim option. Participants can also join in virtually with “SAA My Way.” Boaters, kayakers, paddle boarders and land volunteers also participate in this inspirational event. To register as a swimmer or a volunteer visitswimacrossamerica.org/charleston.
Why does Swim Across America – Charleston-Kiawah swim to raise money in the fight against cancer? Cancer sadly touches everyone — whether it is a loved one or a friend, everyone knows someone who has been impacted by cancer.
In 2024, For the first time ever, the United States is expected to surpass more than 2 million new cases of cancer and 611,720 cancer deaths. These staggering statistics offer compelling proof of the need to continue devising new approaches to treatment. In fact, there are more than 18 million Americans with a history of invasive cancer who are alive today, who were diagnosed many years ago or now have no current evidence of the disease, thanks to new treatments. Whether it is through swimming, volunteering, donating or cheering on loved ones and friends, Swim Across America – Charleston-Kiawah welcomes anyone and everyone who wants to be a part of the fight against cancer.
Participants of the 2023 Swim Across America – Charleston-Kiawah community swim
Funds raised by Swim Across America – Charleston-Kiawah supports cancer research and clinical trials at the Ferreira Lab at Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina. The Ferreira Lab is dedicated to designing and developing engineered immune cell therapies for autoimmune disease, cancer, and aging. To date, Swim Across America – Charleston-Kiawah has raised more than $400,000 to fight cancer since its first Charleston-Kiawah swim in 2018.
“The Swim Across America – Charleston-Kiawah open water swim is such an inspiring event,” said Jana Chanthabane, event director of the Swim Across America – Charleston-Kiawah open water swim. “The gathering of so many families and so many individuals who are honoring those who are special to them is incredible — whether they are currently battling it out, or survivors or have lost someone. To hear the stories and to learn about those whom cancer has touched and to experience that love is just palpable. The feeling of wanting to make a change and to do something for those who have experienced cancer is huge.”
“I remember being stuck with the feeling of needing to do SOMETHING to help my girls for the future, my family and other women that I love,” said Jana.
Swim Across America is a national organization and offers open water and pool swims in 24 communities, from Boston Harbor to under the Golden Gate Bridge. Founded in 1987, Swim Across America has raised more than $100 million in the fight against cancer.
Jana Chanthabane, SAA-Charleston-Kiawah event director, and her daughter, Ella, at the 2023 community swim.
Funds raised by Swim Across America and its grants have helped support the research and clinical trials for FDA approved immunotherapy medicines, including Keytruda, Opdivo, Yervoy and Tecentriq. Swim Across America is also a grant funder of the successful clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering that was published in The New England Journal of Medicine and showed a 100 percent success rate in treating patients in a phase 2 clinical trial for advanced rectal cancer with dostarlimab. Swim Across America grants support more than 60 projects each year and there are ten named Swim Across America Labs at major institutions including: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, John Hopkins Medicine Baltimore, Rush University Medical Center Chicago, Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center in Dallas, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, Infusion Center at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and San Francisco, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, The Swim Across America Pediatric Research Lab at Columbia University Medical Center New York, and at Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine.
More than 150 Olympians support Swim Across America, including Michael Phelps, Craig Beardsley (who was inducted into the International Swimmer’s Hall of Fame in 2022), Donna De Varona, Rowdy Gaines, Janel Jorgensen McArdle, Bobby Hackett, Ryan Lochte, Glenn Mills, Cristina Teuscher and many more.
To learn more about Swim Across America – Charleston-Kiawah or to register to swim, volunteer or donate, visit swimacrossamerica.org/charleston.
Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) raises money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related events. With the help of volunteers, and Olympians, Swim Across America is an innovator and leader in giving hope to those fighting cancer. To learn more visit swimacrossamerica.org, Facebook @SwimAcrossAmerica, and Instagram and Twitter @SAASwim.
On Saturday, May 4, hundreds of swimmers, volunteers, and supporters will “Make Waves to Fight Cancer” at the 13th annual Swim Across America – Tampa Bay open water swim at North Shore Park, St. Petersburg, Florida Proceeds from the event benefit cancer research at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Established in 2021, Swim Across America – Tampa Bay has raised over $2 million for cancer research and clinical trials.
Every participant has a special reason for attending the charity swim; whether it’s to honor a cancer survivor, swim in memory of a loved one, or experience the hope each community swim brings.
For the second year in a row 16-year-old Kellen Murdock will swim one mile with his team Berkeley Aquatics. Kellen shared his personal connection to Swim Across America’s mission.
“I participated in Swim Across America – Tampa Bay last year in honor of my Dad. In 2019, he was diagnosed with stage 4 sinus cancer. The possibility of losing him was devastating,” shared Kellen.
“I’m grateful that my dad has been in remission since completing treatment in June 2019. This was only possible thanks to the dedication of his team of oncologists.”
Kellen Murdock and his father embrace at the 2023 SAA-Tampa Bay event
Kellen took his dedication even further by joining the Swim Across America – Tampa Bay Junior Advisory Board this year. The group of high school students serve as ambassadors for Swim Across America in their community and pledge to raise awareness and funds in support of the cause.
“Swim Across America is important to my family because of my dad’s experiences with cancer. We don’t want anyone to go through the same experiences we did with cancer and Swim Across America helps with that,” said Kellen.
Haley Campbell and Dr. Heather Pryor joined Swim Across America – Tampa Bay with a unique team name – Team Hakuna Ma-Tatas. The lighthearted name is a nod to Heather’s recent battle with breast cancer.
The duo joined Swim Across America as a way to get back in the water, stay active, and give back to the community.
“We both have competed in some form, whether it be competitive swimming or triathlons, and we both wanted to get back in the water. For Heather, it was more than swimming. She had just finished heavy treatments for breast cancer and wanted to find a way to get active again,” said team captain, Haley.
“It seemed like a no-brainer. We both had a deep connection to cancer, so we could support cancer research, while doing something we love.”
Heather Pryor and Haley Campbell, Team Hakuna Ma-Tatas
Haley also shared that when she was five years old, her father was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia.
“At the time he was given three to five years to live. He looked the doctors dead in the eyes and said, ‘No, I WILL watch my kids graduate from high school,’” said Haley.
“Not only did he get to see us graduate high school, he saw my brother graduate from college. He passed away 16 years after he was diagnosed. I have no doubt that modern advances in cancer research – and his incredibly positive attitude – are the reasons that I was able to not only grow up with my daddy, but I was also able to make memories that I never would have been able to make.”
Like many Swim Across America participants, Heather loved that she could combine celebrating her recovery with giving hope to others fighting the same battle.
“Through Swim Across America, I not only help myself recover from breast cancer treatments, but I can also help fund research to help others overcome cancer, too.
Heather has been a family physician for 25 years and has discovered cancer in many of her patients throughout her career.
“I am swimming in honor of all the people who are currently fighting cancer and in memory of those who lost the battle. I am hopeful that my efforts help find a cure for cancer, so others will not have to endure what I and so many others have faced.”
Swim Across America 