Kitty Tetreault’s Love of Swimming Turned into a Life-Long Quest

Swimmer, cancer survivor and event director, Kathleen (Kitty) Tetreault, a Walpole, Massachusetts, resident, has been involved with Swim Across America for more than 30 years. Kitty has been leading and making a difference in the fight against cancer through supporting swim events with Swim Across America and is excited for the upcoming Boston swim taking place on Saturday, August 6.

Kitty originally got involved with Swim Across America because of her love of swimming. “I love swimming and I thought why not combine a job with something you love,” said Kitty. “I met a great group who have become family to me and I was doing something that had a purpose and making a difference.”

Kitty's involvement with Swim Across America became more urgent when she herself was diagnosed with cancer. “Cancer had not touched me personally when I began my journey with Swim Across America. Over the years I knew more and more people who had been diagnosed with cancer and then one day it was me. In some ways, I was not surprised. Why not me? Cancer can strike anyone at any time and it was my time.” Kitty found peace in that Swim Across America Boston supports two great beneficiaries, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Mass General Hospital for Children Cancer Center, and knew she would receive great care in her Boston community. During her treatment, Kitty embraced swimming even more to help her cope.

“Swimming has been my salvation and peace during treatment (and in life), and as long as cancer is out there, I will continue to raise money for research and treatment of cancer,” said Kitty.

Kitty has been cancer-free since 2016. She continues to help out with the Swim Across America Boston swim and was the event director for more than two decades helping in the fight against cancer and raising millions of dollars for cancer research and clinical trials. Kitty is now a national safety director for numerous other Swim Across America swims.

Founded in 1987 and celebrating 35 years of #makingwaves to #fightcancer this year, Swim Across America is a national nonprofit organization that holds 24 open water swims across the country, from Boston to under the Golden Gate Bridge. The organization has an interesting history as it started with a sunken boat in Long Island Sound at its first-ever open water swim and has turned its passion for swimming and fighting cancer into $100 million that supports crucial cancer research throughout the country.

Swim Across America funding has contributed to four FDA approved life-saving immunotherapy treatments: Yervoy, Opdivo, Tecentriq and Keytruda, and supports research with more than 60 scientific grants funded each year. Just this month, very exciting news about 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 by Swim Across America and there are 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 at Dallas, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, Nantucket Cottage Hospital, Palliative and Supportive Care of Nantucket, Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Lounge at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and San Francisco and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. More than 120 Olympians support Swim Across America, including Michael Phelps, Craig Beardsley (who is being inducted into the International Swimmer’s Hall of Fame this fall), Donna De Varona, Rowdy Gaines, Janel Jorgensen McArdle, Bobby Hackett, Ryan Lochte, Glenn Mills and many more.

In honor of Swim Across America’s 35th anniversary, the organization is showcasing “35 Stories of Impact” throughout its decades with a special website at swimacrossamerica.org/35. Kitty Tetreault is one of the “35 Stories of Impact” profiled.

To learn more about Swim Across America Boston or to register to swim, volunteer or donate for the August 6th open water swim, visit swimacrossamerica.org/boston.

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/boston or follow on Facebook Twitter or Instagram @SAABoston or email Jamie Mannion at jamie@swimacrossamerica.org or Alex Meyer at alex@swimacrossamerica.org