Swim Raises Funds for Cancer Research for the Swim Across America Lab at Rush Cancer Center (Rush)

Swim Across America, the national nonprofit organization that makes waves to fight cancer through charity swims across the U.S., will host its annual Swim Across America – Chicago Open Water Swim on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at Ohio Street Beach, 600 N. Lake Shore Drive, in Chicago. The community swim welcomes swimmers of all ages and skill levels, from first-time open water swimmers to veteran athletes and master swimmers, with swim options including a half-mile, 1-mile and 2-mile swim, as well as the Miracle Mile competitive race option. For those unable to participate in person, a virtual SAA My Way option is also available. Proceeds support cancer research and leading-edge patient care at Rush. To register to swim, volunteer or support the swim with a tax-deductible donation, visit swimacrossamerica.org/chicago.

Established in 1994, Swim Across America – Chicago partnered with Rush in 2012 and has since donated more than $3 million to support cancer research and clinical trials. Funds raised through the swim support early-stage research and clinical trials for a variety of cancer types at the Swim Across America Lab at Rush.

“Swim Across America – Chicago is an incredibly meaningful event for our community as it brings together swimmers, volunteers, cancer survivors, families, researchers and supporters who all share one mission: making waves to fight cancer,” said Alyse Mauro Mason, co-event director of Swim Across America – Chicago. “Since partnering with Rush in 2012, this swim has raised more than $3 million to support critical cancer research and clinical trials. Every swimmer, every volunteer and every donor is helping fund research that can lead to better treatments, better outcomes and more hope for patients and families.”

Each year, Swim Across America – Chicago hosts more than 280 swimmers and volunteers, spectators and supporters, as well as Olympians from near and far, for the annual charity swim in beautiful Lake Michigan, in downtown Chicago.

This year’s swim will include a special tribute to longtime Swim Across America – Chicago swimmer and supporter Stephen “Steve” Schlegel, who sadly passed away in February after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Schlegel was a pivotal part of the Chicago swim community and started Team Anne, Mike and Friends after losing his daughter Anne, to non-Hodgkin lymphoma when she was just 31. His family has continued to face devastating losses from cancer; Schlegel’s son-in-law John, husband of his daughter Jeanne Skaggs, also passed away from pancreatic cancer earlier this year.

“Steve Schlegel gave so much of himself to Swim Across America – Chicago, and his legacy will always be part of this swim,” noted Alyse Mauro Mason. “He turned unimaginable loss into action, creating a long-time team and helping build a community committed to funding cancer research. This year, as we honor Steve, we also honor Anne, John and every family that has been touched by cancer. His impact will continue to inspire us every time we gather at Ohio Street Beach.”

The impact of Swim Across America – Chicago can be seen in the research it helps support. After Swim Across America’s support, Rush was honored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with the Director’s Transformative Research Award, one of the NIH’s most prestigious and exclusive awards. The award provides funding for innovative pancreatic cancer research and is given to exceptionally creative scientists proposing high-risk, high-impact research. Rush credits this recognition with being funded first by Swim Across America – Chicago, which provided a foundation for which to build on.

“This is exactly why Swim Across America matters,” Katie Marchetti noted, who is a co-event director with Mauro Mason. “The funds raised through this swim help provide support for promising research, and that support can lead to larger grants, new discoveries and progress for cancer patients. It is incredibly meaningful to know that our swimmers and supporters are helping move cancer research forward.”

For swimmer Tom Boucher, this year’s Swim Across America – Chicago will have a very different meaning. In past years, Boucher participated in the event to honor those who had been touched by cancer and had made a difference in his life. This year, he will swim as a cancer survivor himself.

In November 2025, Tom was diagnosed with stage 2 lung cancer. In January 2026, he had surgery at Rush to remove the cancer. Four weeks later, he swam his first lap. He also needed four rounds of chemotherapy and is now considered to be in remission and swimming full-time again.

Boucher said the team at Rush changed his life. “As I approach the start line of the swim on August 8 this year, I’m asking my friends and family to support me in this cause to help raise money for the Rush cancer center,” Tom Boucher said. “Rush changed my life. The funds raised will go to their center and will support critical cancer research.” 

For many Swim Across America – Chicago participants, the event is about honoring loved ones, supporting cancer patients and survivors, and helping fund the research and clinical trials that can lead to new treatment options.

“Tom’s story is a powerful reminder of why this swim matters,” Alyse Mauro Mason commented. “Swim Across America – Chicago is not just a swim. It is a community taking action for cancer patients, survivors and families, and helping support the researchers and clinicians working every day to change the future of cancer care.”

Nationally, Swim Across America has raised more than $150 million for cancer research since its founding in 1987 and has helped fund clinical trials that contributed to the FDA-approved cancer immunotherapy medications Keytruda, Opdivo, Yervoy and Tecentriq. In the past year, Swim Across America funded a breakthrough clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering that showed that immunotherapy alone could successfully treat certain types of cancer. The organization also recently awarded two first-of-its-kind gene editing innovation grants to the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, advancing novel CRISPR gene and base editing techniques used in targeted therapies, immunotherapies and cellular therapies. Swim Across America supports more than 60 cancer research projects annually, has eight named Swim Across America labs, and supports work at many of the nation’s leading cancer institutions.

For those interested in swimming, volunteering or donating to the Swim Across America – Chicago Open Water Swim on August 8, please visit swimacrossamerica.org/chicago.

Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related events. With open water and pool swims in 27 communities across the United States – from Nantucket to under the Golden Gate Bridge – Swim Across America, along with the help of thousands of swimmers and volunteers nationwide, and past and current Olympians, is helping find better treatments and a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach and direct service. To learn more, visit swimacrossamerica.org.