April 16 Swim Across America Nashville Makes Waves to Fight Cancer

On Sunday, April 16, more than 100 participants will come together to “make waves to fight cancer” at the second annual Swim Across America-Nashville Pool Swim. Funds raised at this event will go directly to support promising research at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Anyone interested in swimming or volunteering can register for this fun Team Relay charity swim at swimacrossamerica.org/nashville. In this second year of the partnership between SAA-Nashville and the VICC, the event will honor colon cancer survivor, Susan McPherson, a resident of Nashville, who is also the mother-in-law of one of the event’s directors, Chris McPherson.

In December of 2020, Susan McPherson went to the doctor to determine what was causing her new-onset shortness of breath and discovered that she was anemic. After some additional tests, Susan received a devastating diagnosis of stage four colon cancer, as a large tumor and multiple metastases were found in her abdomen. The median survival rate for stage four colon cancer with supportive treatment and care is only nine months. Susan was an active 76 year-old grandmother with a lot to live for, and she wanted to change that statistic.

Susan was no stranger to the Swim Across America organization, which raises funds to fight cancer through open water and pool swims around the country. Susan’s son, John, a cardiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is a swimmer, as is his wife Chris, who is one of the event directors and also coaches at the Ensworth Natatorium where the Swim Across America-Nashville event is held. Susan and her husband, Dave, had previously supported her son and daughter-in-law and their team “Chris' Cancer Crushers” in their endeavor to “make waves to fight cancer,” but the contributions had always been in honor of other family members and friends who had cancer diagnoses - some who are now survivors and others who lost their battle to cancer. After her shocking diagnosis, the reason to support Swim Across America-Nashville now became much more personal for Susan.

“With recent medical advances that have been made possible by the funding provided by incredible organizations like Swim Across America, it was determined that my particular genetic profile made me a candidate for immunotherapy,” said Susan McPherson. “In fact the type of immunotherapy I was put on – Keytruda – was developed in the Swim Across America funded lab at the Johns Hopkins Cancer Center! What an incredibly serendipitous moment it was when I realized that the treatment that could help save my life was initially funded through Swim Across America fundraising events.”

Susan has been treated for the past two years with Keytruda at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, which is the beneficiary of the Swim Across America-Nashville Pool Swim, and she is now CANCER FREE! Susan’s success story will be showcased at this year’s April 16th Swim Across America-Nashville Pool Swim, being held at the Ensworth Natatorium. A big crowd of swimmers and volunteers are expected to participate, including five-time Olympic gold medalist, Missy Franklin.

“I’m delighted to share my story with the Swim Across America community and all of Nashville,” said Susan McPherson. “It is through the dedication and efforts of this amazing organization that more lives are being saved by the young investigators and novel new treatments that they are funding.”

In honor of the Swim Across America-Nashville Pool Swim, Susan’s son John is not only swimming alongside his wife Chris, he is also brewing a special “Making Waves” beer, which he will serve at a pre-swim get-together the evening before.

Swim Across America was founded in 1987 and went from a sunken boat in Long Island Sound to raising $100 million to fight cancer. In its 36 years of “making waves to fight cancer,” more than 100,000 swimmers and Olympians have swum the circumference of the earth three times uniting a movement to fight cancer that has created a groundswell of support spanning all generations. Today, more than 24 communities hold open water swims and charity pool swims each year, which support innovative cancer research, detection and patient programs.

Swim Across America’s funding of clinical trials for patients helped contribute to four FDA approved life-saving immunotherapy cancer treatments: Yervoy, Opdivo, Tecentriq and Keytruda. More than 60 scientific grants are funded each year 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 in 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,Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

To learn more about the April 16 Swim Across America-Nashville Pool Swim, to register to swim or volunteer, or to donate to the cause, you can visit swimacrossamerica.org/nashville.

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 or follow on Facebook @SwimAcrossAmerica or on Instagram or Twitter @SAASwim.