When I'm in the open water, I feel closest to my mom. The ocean helped me heal from years of grief and depression. Swimming in her honor and memory for a cause close to my heart gives me purpose. I also swim in memory of my dear friend Scott Goldberg, who greatly impacted my ocean swimming journey, and who lost his battle with cancer in 2021. This year, I am also swimming to honor my friend Anne Ozer and her current battle with breast cancer, and two of the masters swimmers I coach, Brian Kelca and Jim Steinauer, who are currently bravely fighting their own battles with the disease. 

In my time raising funds for FORCE, I have raised over $55,000 to further their mission. For nearly a decade, FORCE has been part of my story. This year, I’m swimming my most challenging races yet—and raising $15,000 to ensure no one faces hereditary cancer alone.

This year, I am taking on two ambitious swims.

The Five Tails of Tessie is a marathon swimming challenge consisting of five distinct swim routes in Lake Tahoe. Presently, I have completed 4 of the 5 crossings, and I am scheduled to swim the fifth, the "Thunderbird" (21.2 km (13.2 miles from Homewood, CA to the Thunderbird Lodge, NV) on July 27. Only 6 people in recorded history have completed this challenge.

On August 19, my window to swim the English Channel opens. This swim has been booked for a few years now and finishing it will complete my Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming (Catalina Channel, 20 Bridges Around Manhattan and the English Channel).

Each swim represents endurance, commitment, and purpose—but more importantly, each one is an opportunity to raise awareness and support for a cause that has mattered deeply to me for most of my life.

Please consider helping FORCE continue to do its important work. All gifts matter, and a gift of $25 or more will help provide a lifeline to families who are at a higher risk of cancer.

Questions? Please email TeamFORCE@facingourrisk.org.