For the third year in a row, swimmer Bryan Stroinski, is participating in the Swim Across America – Nashville community charity swim with his team “Bryan’s Battlin’ Blue Waves.” Bryan and his teammates are swimming in honor of one of Bryan’s best friends Zac Cain, who sadly lost his battle with colorectal cancer at just 19 years of age.
“When I first heard about Swim Across America, I knew that it combined two of my main interests – swimming and cancer research,” said Bryan.
“I feel like everyone is impacted by cancer in some way, and that is true for me as well. Ten years ago I lost one of my best friends, Zac Cain, to colorectal cancer. Zac was diagnosed during his senior year of high school in 2012, during our swim season together. I had swam with Zac for many years previously and we developed a great friendship.”
Bryan Stroinski and his friend, Zac Cain, who battled colorectal cancer while in high school.
“Zac was always someone that anyone could go to for anything. He was a great training partner, teammate, and overall amazing friend. Zac was a phenomenal swimmer who had planned on swimming Division 1 with sights set on the Olympics. Zac was still competing at his highest level right up until his diagnosis, so losing someone so young to cancer was hard – and it was a complete shock to all of us who knew him.”
Bryan is swimming in this year’s SAA-Nashville charity swim to honor 10 years since Zac’s passing.
Bryan shared that Zac had been in and out of remission from his diagnosis in 2012 until his passing in March 2014. During this time, Zac had also been a participant in a couple clinical trials for cancer research drugs.
“Because of Zac’s illness and participation in clinical trials, I feel a strong personal connection to Swim Across America’s mission,” said Bryan.
“Funding for clinical trials is so important in cancer research and having that be the main goal for Swim Across America makes me want to support the organization in any way I can. Swim Across America’s mission to unite communities and support those affected by cancer resonates deeply with me and my family, as we believe in the power of collective action to drive positive change in the fight against this disease.”
Bryan and his team at the 2023 Swim Across America – Nashville community charity swim.
“My participation this year is important because it is the 10 year anniversary of Zac’s passing, as well as the one year anniversary of my Mom’s death. While I did not lose my Mom to cancer, she always knew how important Swim Across America and Zac were to me. I always feel my Mom’s continued support in anything I do, so my motivation to support Swim Across America this year is higher than ever, and I am excited to see what the Nashville Community can do for Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center.”
To support Bryan and his team, Bryan’s Battlin’ Blue Waves, click here.
Swimmers, Boaters, Volunteers Make Waves in the Fight Against Cancer
ISLAMORADA, Fla., February 22, 2024 — Swim Across America – Florida Keys is #makingwaves to #fightcancer! Celebrating its 3rd year, this year’s swim will be held Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Founders Park in Islamorada, Florida. There are several swim distances available: half-mile, one-and-a-half mile and two-mile, plus a fun Kids’ Splash! Boaters, kayakers, paddle boarders, and land volunteers participate in this inspirational event. To register as a swimmer or a volunteer, or to donate, visit swimacrossamerica.org/floridakeys.
Why does Swim Across America – Florida Keys 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.
Swimmers, volunteers and spectators at the 2023 Swim Across America – Florida Keys charity swim.
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 – Florida Keys welcomes anyone and everyone who wants to be a part of the fight against cancer.
Funds raised by Swim Across America – Florida Keys go directly to support cancer research and patient care programs at Miami Cancer Institute. To date, Swim Across America – Florida Keys has donated more than $110,000 to Miami Cancer Institute.
Glenn and Susan Latham, co-event directors for Swim Across America – Florida Keys
“The Swim Across America – Florida Keys open water swim is such an inspiring event,” said Glenn Latham, event director of the Swim Across America – Florida Keys 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.”
Glenn Latham knows the impact of raising funds for cancer research first-hand. He is a cancer survivor himself after being diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 53 in 2008. Receiving a cancer diagnosis in his early 50’s wasn’t actually a surprise to Glenn – cancer has impacted his family with both of his parents and two out of his three siblings all battling cancer. Glenn’s father also battled prostate cancer and his mother passed away at the young age of 48 from breast cancer – a disease that also impacted two of his sisters, one who succumbed to the disease, and the other is a survivor, like Glenn. Today, Glenn at age 69, after five years of cancer treatment, is celebrating being 12 years cancer-free! In addition to running the Keys event, he is also a swimmer and has swam in the event each year.
“Fortunately, due to lots of prayer, family support and modern technology I am in remission,” said Glenn Latham. “As a cancer survivor, I subsequently was involved in several cancer causes prior to moving to The Keys. My love of swimming led to the chance meeting with a local swimmer and Swim Across America board member who shared the mission of Swim Across America. My wife and I were immediately interested, and together we decided to organize a Swim Across America open water swim in the Florida Keys. I believe we need to expand cancer research, and the funding that Swim Across America and our swim generates is of huge value. It is particularly gratifying meeting and working with key members of the local medical research institution, Swim Across America staff, swim Olympians and local community supporters. Please come out and join us on April 20th! It’s fun for all ages!”
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.
Swim Across America’s funding of the research and clinical trials for patients helped contribute to four FDA approved life-saving immunotherapy cancer treatments: Yervoy, Opdivo, Tecentriq and Keytruda. Swim Across America is also a grant funder of the successful clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering that was published inThe 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, an immunotherapy treatment produced by GlaxoSmithKline. Swim Across America awards grant to 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 – Florida Keys or to register to swim, volunteer or donate, visit swimacrossamerica.org/floridakeys.
Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related events. With the help of hundreds of volunteers nationwide and past and current Olympians, Swim Across America is helping find a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach and direct service. To learn more visit swimacrossamerica.org, swimacrossamerica.org/floridakeys or follow on Facebook or Instagram @saafloridakeys or email glenn@swimacrossamerica.org.
Since 2009, Swim Across America has contributed more than $5.3 million for cancer research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Funds raised by the event and by the motivated swimmers who participate enable early-career investigators to pursue groundbreaking research that can improve care for patients in Seattle and beyond. Investigators who received funding in previous years continue to build on research made possible by Swim Across America to advance understanding of breast cancer, lymphoma, pancreatic cancer, and sarcoma. We are delighted to provide this year’s update on the projects you’ve supported below. Don’t forget to register for this year’s Swim Across America – Seattle!
Dr. Meghan Flanagan
Meghan R. Flanagan, MD, MPH | Breast Cancer
Physician and affiliate investigator, Fred Hutch; Assistant professor of Surgery, UW Medicine
Project: Association of HSD3B1 (1245C) genotype with recurrence among post-menopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive, HER2- negative breast cancer
Background: Anti-estrogen endocrine therapy reduces the risk of recurrence and improves breast cancer mortality among individuals with hormone-receptor positive breast cancer. However, approximately one-quarter of patients are inherently resistant or develop resistance to endocrine therapy. Ultimately, this research may allow us to identify people with innate endocrine resistance and develop novel therapeutics and treatment strategies.
Progress statement 2022: Swim Across America’s initial support helped our team evaluate whether there is an association between a common single nucleotide variation in a gene called HSD3B1 (which is involved in hormone biosynthesis) and breast cancer outcomes. Using an extensive collection of clinical and pathologic data about patients and their tumors, we demonstrated that patients with two copies of the variant in the HSD3B1 gene had a five-fold increased risk of developing metastatic breast cancer, compared to people who did not have this variant.
In July 2022, we published findings from Swim Across America-supported research in the Annals of Surgical Oncology. Based on these results, our team received funding to study whether inheriting two copies of the variant HSD3B1 gene — which occurs in 10% to 15% of patients with estrogen receptor-positive, post-menopausal breast cancer — decreases the effectiveness of anti-estrogen medications, which are used universally in this population. Our results could indicate the need for alternative treatment strategies for these patients.
2023 update: 33 of 60 patients have completed the study, and frozen tissue from 25 patients has been analyzed for estrogen and androgen concentrations. Although only two patients had two copies of the variant HSD3B1 gene, and we do not have enough information to make conclusions about the variant versus wild-type gene, it is likely that our analysis will be the most comprehensive steroid profiling of normal and tumor breast tissue. We are also in the process of finalizing data for our primary study outcomes and anticipate this will be completed in the late spring.
Dr. Sita Kugel
Sita Kugel, PhD | Pancreatic Cancer
Assistant professor, Fred Hutch
Project: Exploring novel functions of HMGA2 in pancreatic cancer
Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is an extremely lethal disease with an overall five-year survival rate of 12%. Recent work has led to the discovery that PDA can be subdivided into two principal subtypes based on transcriptional signatures: classical and basal. The basal subtype is more aggressive and leads to the worst overall survival. Our laboratory has been focused on understanding the mechanisms that drive each subtype with the aim of identifying therapeutic vulnerabilities that may be exploited in the clinic.
Progress statement 2022: Within an already challenging malignancy, certain transcriptional subtypes of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma are especially lethal. Funding from Swim Across America is helping us understand what defines each subtype, as well as their susceptibilities and mechanisms of resistance, to help to identify potential new treatment options for this devastating disease. Our team has recreated the classical and basal subtypes in the lab and managed to explore the differences between the two, including how they acquire resistance to first-line therapies. Our work will lay the groundwork for more targeted treatments for PDAs that can also account for their respective escape mechanisms, thereby improving outcomes.
2023 update: Some of our recent work showed that basal pancreatic tumors are sensitive to cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors. Our team is trialing these CDK inhibitors in patients who are also receiving standard-of-care treatment, while also looking at whether a different treatment combination affects one tumor subtype more than the other.
Simultaneously, we are using pancreatic tumor tissue taken from patients and grown in mice to test new treatment strategies in an environment similar to the human body.
Dr. Jonathan Sham
Jonathan Sham, MD, MBEE | Pancreatic Cancer
Surgical oncologist and assistant professor, Fred Hutch and UW Medicine
Project: Novel drug-eluting biopolymer to reduce pancreatic fistula and improve outcomes after pancreatic surgery
Background: Pancreatectomy, or removal of the pancreas, is the mainstay of any potentially curative treatment regimen for pancreatic cancer. Despite an overall improvement in the safety of pancreatic surgery over the past several decades, the morbidity of pancreatectomy remains exceedingly high. The most significant complication after pancreatic surgery is postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF), which occurs in up to 50% of cases. The use of a biopolymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), is an innovative approach to prevent leakage of pancreatic juice from the cut surface of the gland, while drug-eluting microspheres aims to simultaneously reduce baseline pancreatic fluid secretion. This novel dual-action approach will be tested in a validated rat model of POPF with the goal of rapid clinical translation and patient benefit.
Progress statement 2022: Swim Across America is advancing our work to improve outcomes after pancreatic surgery. Your support is enabling a trailblazing collaboration between surgeons and bioengineers to develop novel ways to stop leaks after pancreas surgery and help patients live healthier and longer lives. We have also expanded our team and published our groundbreaking research, including our development of a preclinical model for studying POPF. We continue to move this work closer to helping patients with pancreatic cancer.
2023 update: We are continuing to optimize biopolymer performance and handling characteristics for use during surgery. We are also including a chemical approach that clams use to adhere to underwater rocks in order to maximize adhesion on wet surfaces during surgery.
Dr. Jordan Gauthier
Jordan Gauthier, MD, MsC | Lymphoma
Physician and assistant professor, Fred Hutch and UW Medicine
Project: Factors associated with failure of CD19 CAR T cells in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Background: We are investigating two factors — T-cell dysfunction during manufacturing and the suppressive tumor microenvironment — that may play a critical role in the failure of CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for people with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We are also working to identify potential targets to improve outcomes of CAR T-cell therapy for patients with DLBCL.
Progress statement 2022: The Swim Across America grant allowed us to explore two parallel questions. First, to understand whether exhausted T cells are associated with treatment failure after CAR T-cell therapy for patients with DLBCL, we analyzed blood samples from 34 patients treated on a clinical trial. While we did not confirm an association between exhausted T cells and treatment failure, we found that a higher proportion of terminally differentiated T cells may have an adverse impact on the outcomes of CAR T-cell therapy. Second, to determine if an exhausted gene signature in T cells from lymphoma tumors is associated with treatment failure, we analyzed pre-treatment tumor biopsies from 17 patients receiving CAR T-cell therapy. In patients who had a complete response to CAR T-cell therapy, we found that T-cell-associated genes were overexpressed compared to patients not in complete response after treatment. Our results suggest that tumors more susceptible to T-cell infiltration might respond better to CAR T-cell therapy.
Funds from Swim Across America also supported the development of two cutting-edge approaches, CITE-seq and CODEX, that allow us to study proteins and DNA from single cells and take 3D photographs of biopsies before and after therapy. These tools will help us better understand why CAR T-cell therapy does not work in some patients. Identifying why treatment fails at a single-cell level will have a dramatic impact on how we design the next generation of CAR T-cell therapies.
2023 update: Using tools we developed with the support of Swim Across America, we are now able to specifically study how CAR T cells “talk” to other cells inside lymphoma tumors. We are also now using CITE-seq to analyze 20 tumor biopsy samples from patients undergoing CAR T-cell therapy in clinical trials. We are looking at associations between specific immune cell populations and outcomes, such as anti-cancer effects and toxicity.
Dr. John Lee
John K. Lee, MD, PhD | Sarcoma
Previously physician and assistant professor, Fred Hutch and UW Medicine; currently at UCLA
Project: Development of STEAP1 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for Ewing sarcoma
Background: Approximately 200 adolescents and young adults in the U.S. are diagnosed each year with Ewing sarcoma, a cancer of the soft tissue and bone. When Ewing sarcoma spreads, patients face a very grim prognosis, as no available treatments eradicate the disease. If successful, our studies will help lay the groundwork for the development and clinical translation of a first-in-field CAR T-cell immunotherapy for Ewing sarcoma that targets the protein STEAP1.
Progress statement 2022: Swim Across America funding helped us evaluate whether a novel CAR T-cell therapy targeting the protein STEAP1 could be an effective strategy to treat patients with Ewing sarcoma. Our results indicate that human Ewing sarcoma tumor models commonly express STEAP1 and are susceptible to killing by STEAP1 CAR T cells. In related studies, we have also determined that STEAP1 CAR T-cell therapy appears safe in a novel mouse model that we engineered to express human STEAP1. We have seen highly promising activity in multiple preclinical models of Ewing sarcoma, and we licensed the technology to a company for clinical development.
2023 update: The Swim Across America grant enabled studies, now complete, confirming the anti-cancer activity of STEAP1 CAR T-cell therapy in preclinical models of Ewing sarcoma. A clinical trial in humans at Fred Hutch and Seattle Children’s Hospital is now being planned.
After a Successful Career with Oncology Pharmaceutical Companies, DeSimone is Making Waves in the Fight Against Cancer
CHARLOTTE, N.C., February 14, 2024 – Swim Across America, a national nonprofit dedicated to providing grants for cancer research and patient programs and raising funds through swimming events, is pleased to announce that Jill DeSimone, a global pharmaceutical executive, has been appointed to the Swim Across America Board of Directors. Jill’s career included championing excellence in patient care for serious diseases, while igniting scalable growth and agility in the healthcare marketplace. She held positions of executive leadership for more than 30 years, culminating in eight years as president of Oncology for Merck.
“One of my greatest joys has been volunteering and encouraging many of my colleagues and friends to volunteer with Swim Across America,” says Jill DeSimone. “I’m thrilled to continue my support with the Board of Directors and its mission of cancer research, detection, education, and giving hope to families that are affected by cancer.”
“Jill has been supporting Swim Across America for many years,” commented Pam Ryan, Swim Across America board chair. “She’s been to many of the communities and hospitals that our grants fund. She has passion, relationships, and valuable leadership experience that is going to advance our mission and ability to help people.”
Ms. DeSimone was most recently president of U.S. Oncology at Merck & Co., Inc., where she built the company’s oncology division, growing it to over a $9 billion business in just eight years. She led three key product launches, and more than 45 indication launches, including Keytruda®, of which Swim Across America played a major role in funding the research and clinical trials. Prior to joining Merck, she served as senior vice president of Global Women’s Health at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., from 2012 to 2014. Prior to her time at Teva, she served in several roles of increasing responsibility at Bristol Myers Squibb from 1980 to 2012, including senior vice president of U.S. Oncology & Commercial from 2010 to 2012 and senior vice president of U.S. Virology/HIV from 2006 to 2010.
Swim Across America was founded in 1987 with its first open water charity swim in Long Island Sound. The non-profit has grown to 24-communities with charity swims and each year, thousands of survivors and Olympians participate to raise funds for innovative cancer research, detection and patient programs.
Swim Across America’s funding of the research and clinical trials for patients helped contribute to four FDA approved life-saving immunotherapy cancer treatments: Yervoy, Opdivo, Tecentriq and Keytruda. Swim Across America is also a grant funder of the successful clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering that was published inThe 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, an immunotherapy treatment produced by GlaxoSmithKline. Swim Across America awards grant to 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, the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, The Swim Across America Pediatric Research Lab at Columbia University Medical Center New York, and at Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine.Swim Across America, Inc.
Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related events. With the help of hundreds of volunteers nationwide and past and current Olympians, Swim Across America is helping find a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach and direct service. To learn more visitswimacrossamerica.org or follow on Facebook @SwimAcrossAmerica or on Instagram or Twitter @SAASwim.
Swim Across America (SAA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 SAA College Cup. Nearly 40 collegiate, club, and alumni teams and over 1,200 participants all united to make waves in the fight against cancer through swimming and friendly competition.
Swim Across America awarded the top three fundraising teams, top three fundraising individuals, as well as a bonus team chosen at random.
The top three fundraising teams are:
1st Place: Emory Swim and Dive Captain: William Kerscher; Susan Mumford Amount Raised: $70,381 Number of Team Members: 71
2nd Place: Providence College Swimming & Diving Captain: John O’Neil Amount Raised: $56,115 Number of Team Members: 101
3rd Place: Team Tar Heel Captain: Sue Walsh Amount Raised: $54,904 Numbers of Team Members: 20
The Emory Swim and Dive team is the winner of the Swim Across America College Cup. Congrats!
The Emory Swim and Dive team had supported Swim Across America in the past, and pointed out that the College Cup made their experience even more exciting. Funds raised by Emory Swim and Dive supported Swim Across America – Atlanta open water swim.
“As a team, we are elated to be the first-ever Swim Across America College Cup champions and to have had the opportunity to make such a tremendous positive impact in our community. Each of us is passionate about the SAA mission and thankful for the good it has done for so many. We look forward to participating in the College Cup for years to come and helping in the fight against cancer!”
Olympian Sue Walsh, captain of Team Tar Heel, is the College Cup’s top individual fundraiser.
The top fundraising individuals are:
1st Place: Sue Walsh Amount Raised: $36,485
2nd Place: Chris Weissman Amount Raised: $16,679
3rd Place: Bob Hackett Amount Raised: $11,887
For Olympian and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alum, Sue Walsh, Swim Across America’s mission is deeply personal.
“I have witnessed the sadness in friends’ eyes when they’ve been told they have cancer. I want to honor those who have lost their battle and to help provide better treatment options for those still in the fight,” said Sue.
“My involvement became even more personal when I heard the words myself, ‘You have metastatic colon cancer.’ As someone who spent most of her life committed to the sport of swimming, it made perfect sense to partner with SAA in the fight against cancer, including my own.”
Funds raised by Sue and Team Tar Heel supported the Swim Across America – Carolina community.
SAA also recognized a collegiate team chosen through a random drawing: Western New England University (WNEU) Swim Team in Springfield, Massachusetts. The team of eight swimmers raised nearly $3,500 and were awarded a Vasa Trainer Pro. Funds raised by the team from WNEU supported Swim Across America – Rhode Island.
Western New England University Swim Team took home the bonus prize: a Vasa Trainer Pro!
The Swim Across America College Cup was announced in 2023 and invited college teams, athletes, and alumni to join the organization’s mission of funding cancer research, clinical trials, and patient care programs through community charity swims. Teams participated by registering for one of Swim Across America’s open water charity swims, joining or starting a pool swim, or participating virtually through the SAA My Way program. Participants affiliated with a U.S-based college or university were eligible to compete in the College Cup. Teams consisted of current college students, alumni, or a mix of both, and could be small as one person.
The Swim Across America College Cup was supported through partnerships with CSCAA, Vasa, and GoSwim.
About Swim Across America
Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention, and treatment through swimming-related events. With the help of hundreds of volunteers nationwide and past and current Olympians, Swim Across America is helping find a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach and direct service. To learn more visit swimacrossamerica.org or follow on Facebook @SwimAcrossAmerica or on Instagram @SAASwim.
About CSCAA
Founded in 1922, the CSCAA is the nation’s first professional coaching association for intercollegiate athletics. The CSCAA boasts more than 2,000 member coaches and assistant coaches, recognizes All-American swimmers and divers, NCAA record-breakers and Scholar All-America athletes and teams, as well as outstanding coaches and contributors, and helps oversee the welfare of collegiate swimming and diving. Learn more about CSCAA at cscaa.org.
About Vasa
Vasa empowers swimmers, surfers, and triathletes to become stronger, better, faster in sports, fitness, and injury rehab. Vasa offers specific equipment such as swim ergometers, trainers, sport benches and other accessories to provide athletes with safe, effective training methods. Founded by Rob Sleamaker, an acclaimed exercise physiologist and author, who has worked with Olympians, biathletes, and triathletes as well as some of the world’s most respected swim coaches to reinvent their training practices. Learn more about Vasa at vasatrainer.com.
About GoSwim
GoSwim creates content that helps people of all ages and backgrounds to swim better and reach their full potential in the sport. GoSwim’s videos are acclaimed and unsurpassed for clarity of filming and clarity of content and commentary. GoSwim was founded in 2002 by Olympian Glenn Mills and business colleague Barbara Hummel. Learn more at goswim.tv.
“Rutemiller’s Army” Helps Brent Fight His Own Cancer and is Making Waves to Fight Cancer with Swim Across America
PHOENIX, November 14, 2023 – In June 2023, Brent Rutemiller, former publisher of Swimming World Magazine and former CEO of the International Sports Hall of Fame (ISHOF), was making arrangements for hospice care after fighting a courageous battle with multiple myeloma. Over Thanksgiving weekend November 24-26, he will mark his remarkable journey and remission by swimming laps in three different pools around the Phoenix area. He is swimming to help make waves in the fight against cancer and to raise critical funds for cancer research with Swim Across America. In addition to Brent’s personal swims, his “Rutemiller’s Army,” made up of professional and amateur swimmers and friends and family around the country, will also be joining him to do their own swims in his honor over the November 24-26 time-period.
“I’m grateful to be here today because of God, the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, and science. Together they gave me an emergency FDA-approved treatment that attacked my cancer to the point where it can no longer be found. Today I stand in a state of ‘Very Good Partial Remission (VGPR)’,” shared Brent Rutemiller.
Brent also gives thanks to Rutemiller’s Army, the group of friends, family members, colleagues and Olympians from the swimming community, who came together to support Brent from diagnosis to partial remission.
“Over the past two years, all my treatments failed to conquer the Multiple Myeloma cancer circulating in my blood. I went through two stem cell transplants, chemotherapy, multiple drug treatments, and cataract, brain, and heart surgery. Along the way, I lost my eyesight, hearing, smell, taste, and feeling in my face, chin, right leg, and toes. But I never lost hope because of the support from the swimming community and Rutemiller’s Army. Now is the time to give back,” said Brent.
Today, Brent has responded well to treatment, surpassing even his doctor’s expectations. He has miraculously recovered and has regained much of his health so that he can swim once again. To mark this occasion, Brent will be swimming in Arizona pools on November 24-27 and he is encouraging anyone who loves swimming to dive in and join him. He will be joined virtually at other locations by his faithful Rutemiller’s Army, and special guests from his swimming career, including Olympic swimmers Rowdy Gaines, Debbie Meyer, Nathan Adrian, Aaron Peirsol, Elizabeth Beisel, Matt Grevers, Amanda Beard, Roland Schoeman and Darian Townsend. Those who live outside the Arizona-area and want to join in and swim and support Rutemiller’s Army, can swim in their local pool and donate to Rutemiller’s Army.
Brent’s journey to remission is full of many ups and downs, and he has maintained a positive, yet realistic outlook. His story is documented in a self-produced video on swimacrossamerica.org/rutemillersarmy.
“There is no cure for multiple myeloma – there are only treatments,” said Brent. “I am calling on Rutemiller’s Army to swim for a cure.”
Brent is no stranger to the strength of the swimming community. In 1985, he began his association with Swimming World Magazine and he went on to serve as marketing director, publisher, CEO and owner of the magazine. After a 37-year tenure with the publication, he became CEO of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF), re-establishing its home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and merging the magazine and its multimedia platforms with the Hall. His leadership was integral to the ongoing construction of the Hall’s new facilities, which include the first high-diving tower of its kind in the world. He retired from his magazine and Hall of Fame positions in 2022 after his cancer diagnosis.
In June 2021, Brent discovered what he believed to be a kidney stone causing intense back pain. It was instead a rare bone marrow cancer called plasma cell leukemia or multiple myeloma. He started chemotherapy almost immediately with MD Anderson before being transferred to Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona.
Then in January 2022, he experienced the first setback by suffering a skin reaction to one of his major medications. Doctors took him off the drug and began discussions for a bone marrow transplant. They were hopeful that a stem cell transplant would help conquer the cancer in his blood. With the cancer growing at an exponential rate, they infused Brent with five million stem cells in March, 2022. Within a month his cancer was under control and in early remission.
However, seven months later in September 2022, his cancer returned. He received radiation for cancer in his jaw and began the process of receiving Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in the form of another bone marrow transplant. CAR T-cell therapy is a way to get immune cells called T cells to fight cancer by changing them in the lab so they can find and destroy cancer cells. CAR T-cell therapy is also sometimes talked about as a type of cell-based gene therapy, because it involves altering the genes inside T cells to help them attack the cancer cells.
While waiting for the new, modified T cells to be transplanted, his cancer was intensifying. He received the CAR-T transplant in October and was briefly released from the hospital, though his marrow was not responding to the treatment. The following month while back in the hospital, he dealt with multiple setbacks including high fevers, poor clotting of wounds, and difficulty walking independently.
Ten days before Christmas, his marrow was still not responding. His wife suggested to his doctors to give Brent a stem cell boost with the five million of his stem cells that were still banked in cold storage. After the boost of three million stem cells, his initial tests showed no signs of cancer and he was released on December 28 – the day of his 37th wedding anniversary.
“I couldn’t wait to get home, hold my grandsons, get back in shape, and dive into the pool as soon as I felt strong enough,” said Brent.
In February 2023, Brent received test results from his doctors showing signs that the cancer was undetectable.
“They said I had the cleanest bone marrow they’d ever seen!” shared Brent. “We still needed to wait and let the cells do their job but that was fantastic news.”
Then in March, Brent fought another setback as he received the news that his cancer had returned again, and this time, in the form of a brain tumor. Doctors acted quickly and removed the tumor, leaving a large U-shaped scar on the back of his head.
He then learned that cancer had attacked his heart and a new brain tumor formed after the surgery. Brent received radiation treatments for the brain tumor and a pacemaker in his heart to combat the new diagnoses.
After treatment, Brent was feeling well enough to resume hiking and work on regaining his strength, even though the cancer was still growing in his blood.
“Then everything changed. In late 2022, the FDA had granted emergency approval for a new drug called Teclistamab for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma,” said Brent. “I was lucky to have my doctors know this and I underwent treatment in May 2023. It was my last hope.”
After a 15-day treatment plan was implemented, Brent was feeling hopeful and healthy. His tests revealed that cancer levels in his blood were below normal and his brain tumor resolved. Brent was optimistic and slowly healing. In July 2023, Brent was in a state of “Very Good Partial Remission” and remains in that state today.
“Before that emergency FDA approval, we didn’t know what our next steps were. And to be honest, we still don’t know what will happen from here. But we’re hopeful and grateful, and I want Rutemiller’s Army to be my legacy and continue to fight towards a cure.”
Funds raised by Brent and Rutemiller’s Army will fund a cancer research project guided by the Swim Across America Research and Grants Committee.
Swim Across America was founded in 1987 with its first open water event in Long Island Sound. Since that time, the nonprofit organization has raised more than $100 million to fight cancer. In its 36 years of “making waves to fight cancer,” more than 100,000 swimmers and 150 Olympians have swum the circumference of the earth three times, uniting a movement to fight cancer that has created a groundswell of support spanning all generations. Today, more than 24 communities hold open water swims and charity pool swims each year, from Nantucket to under the Golden Gate Bridge, which support innovative cancer research, detection and patient programs.
Swim Across America’s funding of clinical trials for patients helped contribute to four FDA approved life-saving immunotherapy cancer treatments: Yervoy, Opdivo, Tecentriq and Keytruda. In June of last year, a clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering was published in The New England Journal of Medicine that showed a 100 percent success rate in treating patients in a phase 2 clinical trial for advanced rectal cancer with dostarlimab, an immunotherapy treatment produced by GlaxoSmithKline. The clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering was funded by early-stage grant funding from Swim Across America. More than 60 scientific grants are funded each year and there are now ten dedicated 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, the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, The Swim Across America Pediatric Research Lab at Columbia University Medical Center New York, and at Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related events. With the help of hundreds of volunteers nationwide and past and current Olympians, Swim Across America is helping find a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach and direct service. To learn more visitswimacrossamerica.org or follow on Facebook @SwimAcrossAmerica or on Instagram or Twitter @SAASwim.
Read or watch local stories featuring the Swim Across America-Houston community to learn about their impact. Learn more about the event and beneficiary, MD Anderson Cancer Center, at swimacrossamerica.org/houston.
Read or watch local stories featuring the Swim Across America-San Francisco community to learn about their impact. Learn more about the event and beneficiary, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals (Oakland and San Francisco), at swimacrossamerica.org/sanfrancisco.
Read or watch local stories featuring the Swim Across America-Carolina community to learn about their impact. Learn more about the event and beneficiary, UNC Lineberger Cancer Center, at swimacrossamerica.org/carolina.
Sarah Thomas is Believed to be the First Swimmer to Complete the Swim of the Entire Length of Lake Mead
LAS VEGAS, October 7, 2023 – On October 7, 2023, ultra marathon swimmer Sarah Thomas set another world record with a monumental swim that no other swimmer has ever attempted. Sarah completed a 47.5-mile swim of the entire length of Lake Mead – from the Colorado River to the Hoover Dam (distance pending ratification). The swim took her 26 hours, 45 minutes and 45 seconds (26:45:45) to complete. Sarah, a breast cancer survivor, took on this swim not just to break another world record, but to help make waves in the fight against cancer and to raise critical funds for cancer research with Swim Across America.
“The water was a balmy 78 on the surface and around 75 degrees in the swimming depth. I’m a cold water swimmer, so this was a bit warmer than I’m used to, but it ended up being lovely,” said Sarah Thomas. “I didn’t run into very many obstacles, except something wrapped around my arm at one point, but for the most part, the swim was really great! I’m so excited to be able to accomplish swimming in Lake Mead, and as a breast cancer survivor, to do it during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, all while raising crucial funds for cancer research with Swim Across America.”
Sarah was accompanied by her support boat that included her husband Ryan Willis, who served as pilot, their friend Craig Lenning, who was crew chief, and her friend Celeste Jacroux, who was her official time-keeper.
Sarah adds the Lake Mead swim to a long list of record-breaking feats.
Sarah Thomas is the first person to complete a four-way crossing of the English Channel in 54 hours and 10 minutes in 2019. She did so one year after completing treatments for breast cancer!
She holds the world record for the longest continuous (unassisted, non-wetsuit) swim done in current-neutral conditions. That record-breaking swim covered 104.6 miles over 67 hours in Lake Champlain (USA) in August of 2017.
She is the first person to complete a two-way crossing of the North Channel in 21 hours and 46 minutes in 2022. The North Channel is the body of water bounded by Northern Ireland (to the west), Scotland (to the east), Isle of Man (to the south), and the Atlantic Ocean (to the north).
She is the first person to complete a two-way swim of Lake Tahoe (lengthwise) in 2013. The swim is 42 miles and Sarah completed it in 22 hours and 30 minutes.
Though Sarah holds many records in open water swimming, in her words, she doesn’t swim to “be the first.” She swims large bodies of water because she loves seeing the beauty in each corner of the world.
“After my first visit to the Hoover Dam in February 2021, I knew I had to swim across Lake Mead,” said Sarah. “Water levels in the lake are in danger of dropping so low that a swim may not always be possible across this beautiful and important body of water.”
Sarah’s swim across Lake Mead started in South Cove, where her favorite river, The Colorado, enters the lake. She then followed the lake 47.5 miles until she ran out of water at the Hoover Dam.
Sarah hopes to raise money for Swim Across America through her monumental swims.
“I was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in 2017 at the age of 35,” said Sarah. “It was a terrifying time and we didn’t know how much my treatments would impact my ability to swim in the future. Being able to partner with Swim Across America combines two of my passions: open water swimming and doing everything I can to fight cancer so that others won’t have to go through what I went through.”
Sarah has supported Swim Across America since 2018, when the inaugural Swim Across America – Denver swim was held in her home community. As a breast cancer survivor, she hopes to raise money for cancer research and bring hope and new treatment options to others.
“Cancer treatments tested me in a way I never thought possible,” noted Sarah. ”Despite undergoing chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy, I never gave up on my dream of doing a swim that most people thought was impossible.”
A year after completing treatments, she did the impossible – becoming the first person to complete a four-way crossing of the English Channel.
Swim Across America was founded in 1987 with its first open water event in Long Island Sound. Since that time, the nonprofit organization has raised more than $100 million to fight cancer. In its 36 years of “making waves to fight cancer,” more than 100,000 swimmers and 150 Olympians have swum the circumference of the earth three times, uniting a movement to fight cancer that has created a groundswell of support spanning all generations. Today, more than 24 communities hold open water swims and charity pool swims each year, from Nantucket to under the Golden Gate Bridge, which support innovative cancer research, detection and patient programs.
Swim Across America’s funding of clinical trials for patients helped contribute to four FDA approved life-saving immunotherapy cancer treatments: Yervoy, Opdivo, Tecentriq and Keytruda. In June of last year, a clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering was published in The New England Journal of Medicine that showed a 100 percent success rate in treating patients in a phase 2 clinical trial for advanced rectal cancer with dostarlimab, an immunotherapy treatment produced by GlaxoSmithKline. The clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering was funded by early-stage grant funding from Swim Across America. More than 60 scientific grants are funded each year and there are now ten dedicated 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, the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, The Swim Across America Pediatric Research Lab at Columbia University Medical Center New York, and at Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related events. With the help of hundreds of volunteers nationwide and past and current Olympians, Swim Across America is helping find a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach and direct service. To learn more visitswimacrossamerica.org or follow on Facebook @SwimAcrossAmerica or on Instagram or Twitter @SAASwim.
Swim Across America 