Swimmers from across Florida will be participating in the 13th annual Swim Across America – Tampa Bay, an open water swim and fundraiser with all proceeds benefiting Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital for cancer research.
The charity event will be held on May 4, at North Shore Park, 901 North Shore Drive, NE., in St. Petersburg.
Most participants have a personal connection to the fight against cancer, with many joining the charity swim to honor survivors, commemorate loved ones or simply to find the hopeful camaraderie of community swims.
Two of the participants are Haley Campbell and Dr. Heather Pryor who are joining with the team name Hakuna My-Tatas — a nod to Pryor’s battle with breast cancer.
“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,” said Pryor, in a news release. “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.”
As a family physician for 25 years, the doctor has discovered cancer in many of her patients, and getting in the water with her friend Haley is a way to fight back.
“We both have competed in some form, whether it be competitive swimming or triathlons, and we both wanted to get back in the water,” said Campbell, in the release. “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.”
Campbell also has a familial connection to cancer — her father was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia when she was 5 years old.
“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 Campbell. “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.”
Swim Across America was founded in 1987, and has since raised over $100 million to fight cancer through the swims of over 100,000 participants. More than 24 communities hold open water swims each year.
To learn more about the May 4 Swim Across America – Tampa Bay swim, visit SwimAcrossAmerica.org/tampa.
Published May 01, 2024
