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Swim Across America Fairfield County Make Waves to Fight
Cancer
Open Water
Swim Saturday, June 22, 2019, in Long Island Sound
WHO: On
June 22, 2019, more than 300 swimmers and 100 volunteers
will participate in the 13th annual Swim
Across America Fairfield County open
water swim. The swim takes place in Long Island Sound on
the Old Greenwich/Stamford border at the headquarters of
the swim’s beneficiary, the Alliance for Cancer Gene
Therapy (ACGT). This year is expected to be bigger than
ever with a goal of raising more than $300,000 to go
toward crucial cancer gene therapy research.
WHAT: Kicking
off the swim on Saturday will be a motivational
presentation on “Why We Swim and Volunteer” by Mike
Brock of Old Greenwich, Connecticut, whose wife Shân is
a stage IV colon cancer patient. When diagnosed in
2014, Shânwas
given less than a five percent chance of surviving five
years. Today, five years after enduring 42 chemotherapy
treatments and three radiation treatments, Shân is
enrolled in an immunotherapy clinical trial at Yale
University. She is the first person in the world to
receive three immunotherapy medications simultaneously -
and progress is thankfully being seen. Shân’s first scan
after eight weeks showed nearly a ten percent reduction
in tumor size. Shân’s subsequent scans have shown
further small reductions in tumor size. “It’s amazing to
note that the last few years have seen an exponential
growth in the number of clinical trials available for
many different types of cancer with some extraordinary
curative results,” said Mike Brock. “This gives hope
where there was none before. But many of these novel
clinical trials and treatments require and continue to
require funding. That’s why it’s so important to fund
Swim Across America Fairfield County and the swim's
beneficiary ACGT.” Come Saturday, Mike Brock and he and Shân’s
youngest daughter
Brontë, will be swimming in the open water swim and Shân
will be volunteering as a kayaker, keeping watch over
the swimmers. “Swimming and kayaking are our small
contribution to helping make waves in the fight against
cancer,” said Shân.
"Funding
organizations like ACGT with Swim Across America
Fairfield County is a game changer for cancer
treatment," noted Michele Graham, co-chair of
Swim Across America Fairfield County. "At the
forefront of cell and gene therapy is immunotherapy,
which aims to awaken the immune system to the threat
of cancer and deactivate the inhibitors that block
the invasion of killer T-cells. The long-term goal
is to develop treatments that attack only cancer
cells, eliminating adverse effects on the body. ACGT
is dedicated to this type of research.” Michele’s 22
year-old daughter Nicole is a leukemia
survivor who was diagnosed at age 16 and was
cancer-free for almost five years before relapsing
last year. Nicole has spent the past year undergoing
another round of treatment and was just recently
given the green light to resume normal activities.
Nicole will be volunteering at the event and her
brother Clayton will be swimming on Team
Julian. Clayton not only swims for Nicole, but for
their friends and family members who have been
touched by cancer. Michele Graham and Nancy Carr
are co-chairs of this year’s open water swim.
WHEN: Saturday,
June 22, 2019
7:00 AM:
Registration/Check-in Opens
7:45
AM: Group photo of all swimmers
7:50
AM: Welcome & Honored Speaker Mike Brock
8:15 AM:
3-Mile Swimmers Start & Award Ceremony
8:55 AM:
1.5-Mile Swimmers Start **NOTE: This is the largest
group of swimmers
9:00 AM:
0.5-Mile Swimmers Start
10:15 AM:
Event Ends
WHERE: Swim
Across America Fairfield County is held at the
headquarters for the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT)
96
Cummings Point Road, Stamford, CT
Parking is available in the Conair parking lot at the
end of Cummings Point Road - walk east across street to
where the Swim is held and come to the beach
WHY: While
Swim Across America is a national organization and
offers 20 open water swims from Boston Harbor to under
the Golden Gate Bridge, its roots are firmly anchored in
Connecticut and along the shores of Long Island Sound.
Darien, Connecticut, resident Matt Vossler and his
lifelong friend and college roommate Jeff Keith founded
Swim Across America in 1987. To date, the Fairfield
County Swim Across America event has raised $3.8 million
for its local beneficiary the Alliance for Cancer Gene
Therapy (ACGT) and its groundbreaking cancer gene
therapy grants.
Nationally, Swim
Across America has raised more than $80 million in the
fight against cancer. More than 120 Olympians support
Swim Across America, including Michael Phelps, Craig
Beardsley, Donna De Varona (a honorary
Greenwich-Stamford co-chair), Rowdy Gaines, Janel
Jorgensen McArdle (who grew up in Ridgefield,
Connecticut), Bobby Hackett, Ryan Lochte, Glenn Mills,
Christina Teuscher and many more. 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/fairfieldcounty or
follow on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @SAAFairfieldCo
or email michele@swimacrossamerica.org or nancycarr@swimacrossamerica.org.
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