Courtesy: Swim Throughout America
Maya Merhige is simply 16 years outdated, however she has spent greater than half of her life conquering open water marathon swims to boost funds and consciousness for most cancers analysis with the nonprofit Swim Throughout America. This yr, she’s taking up one of the iconic and difficult swims on this planet: the English Channel. The English Channel swim (20.5 miles or 33 km) is the third leg of the coveted Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming and can make Maya one of many youngest swimmers in historical past to perform this feat. Maya plans on swimming the English Channel between July 10 and 20, 2024, relying on when situations are probably the most favorable.
Maya earned her stripes towards the Triple Crown by additionally finishing the Catalina Channel and Manhattan 20 Bridges swims. In September 2021, at 14 years outdated, Maya broke the file because the youngest lady in historical past to efficiently swim the 20-mile Catalina Channel, ending in 10 hours and 48 minutes. In 2023, at 15 years outdated, Maya was one of many youngest swimmers to efficiently full the 28.5-mile 20 Bridges swim round Manhattan Island, which took her 8 hours and 43 minutes.
Maya additionally holds the world file because the youngest lady to swim the 21-mile size, 12-mile width, and 10.8-mile Vikingsholm programs of Lake Tahoe, incomes her the Tahoe Triple Crown. She additionally grew to become the youngest swimmer on this planet to efficiently swim the grueling 26-mile Kaiwi Molokai Channel, between the Hawaiian Islands of Molokai and Oahu, which she accomplished in 27 hrs and 33 minutes. She additionally holds a file for the longest period and joined the ranks of the “24-Hour Membership” with the 108th longest continuous open water swim ever.
“This yr is particular for a lot of causes,” notes Maya Merhige. “This yr marks my ninth yr taking part with Swim Throughout America. With the beneficiant help of household, associates and others, I’ve been capable of increase greater than $90,000 to struggle most cancers, which has gone on to the Swim Throughout America – San Francisco beneficiary UCSF Benioff Youngsters’s Hospitals. This previous yr I’ve additionally endured some well being battles of my very own, and my private expertise has made me much more impressed and keen about supporting UCSF Benioff Youngsters’s Hospitals. I’m additionally going to be a senior in highschool this fall and subsequent yr will look very totally different for me as I’ll depart dwelling to start out faculty. So that is the yr to swim the English Channel!”
Maya’s journey started at simply 9 years outdated with the Swim Throughout America – San Francisco open water swim when she joined Workforce Susan Survives!, for her expensive household buddy and three-time most cancers survivor Susan Helmrich. The San Francisco swim raises funds for pediatric most cancers analysis, supporting the work of Dr. Julie Saba and Dr. Robert Goldsby at UCSF Benioff Youngsters’s Hospitals, which has been a frontrunner in pediatric most cancers analysis and remedy for many years, considerably rising treatment charges and bettering the longer term for hundreds of sufferers worldwide. UCSF’s advances in treating leukemia and different cancers have contributed to the general five-year survival fee for childhood most cancers rising to almost 85% in the present day, up from 10% within the Nineteen Seventies. Regardless of this progress, childhood most cancers remains to be a problem and might have lasting results on sufferers and their households. UCSF continues to check these long-term penalties. The partnership between Swim Throughout America and UCSF Benioff Youngsters’s Hospitals is crucial for advancing most cancers analysis and care.
“Serving my second yr as president of the Swim Throughout America – San Francisco Junior Advisory Board, my aim is to boost $35,000 this yr with the English Channel swim and the San Francisco swim, which can carry the overall I’ve been capable of increase to greater than $125,000 to help most cancers analysis for UCSF Benioff Youngsters’s Hospitals,” stated Maya. “I’d particularly prefer to thank Dr. Julie Saba, director of the Swim Throughout America Analysis Lab at UCSF Benioff Youngsters’s Hospital Oakland, for her continued help all through my very own well being challenges. For that, I’m ceaselessly grateful and impressed to boost much more for Swim Throughout America and UCSF by way of my swimming.”
Maya’s personal medical challenges started in March 2023, when after struggling a ski crash, a benign tumor on her pancreas was found. Affected by persistent ache since, she has a newfound empathy for pediatric most cancers sufferers who endure countless procedures and appointments.
Regardless of these challenges, Maya stays undeterred. “I’ve not been capable of swim for the previous month as a result of ache I used to be experiencing, so I’m now having to re-train for the English Channel,” she shared. “That is one other a type of distinctive challenges this yr, however I’m decided to succeed.”
Maya additionally plans to take part within the Swim Throughout America – San Francisco open water swim on October 5, 2024, swimming together with her crew Chasing Channels, made up of different Swim Throughout America – San Francisco Junior Advisory Board members and Bay Space youth. One custom Maya has is to jot down the names of family and friends members battling most cancers on her swim cap. “I’m honored to hold the names of family and friends members affected by most cancers on my cap,” she added. “I’m going to maintain swimming to boost consciousness and funds for preventing most cancers till we now have a treatment.”
To study extra about Maya swimming the English Channel and to make a donation to Swim Throughout America, go to swimacrossamerica.org/maya.
Swim Throughout America is a nationwide group and presents open water and pool swims in 24 communities, from Boston Harbor to beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Based in 1987, Swim Throughout America has raised greater than $100 million within the struggle towards most cancers. Funds raised by Swim Throughout America and its grants have helped help the analysis and medical trials for FDA accredited immunotherapy medicines, together with Keytruda, Opdivo, Yervoy and Tecentriq. Swim Throughout America can be a grant funder of the profitable medical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering that was printed in The New England Journal of Medication and confirmed a one hundred pc success fee in treating sufferers in a section 2 medical trial for superior rectal most cancers with dostarlimab. Swim Throughout America grants help greater than 60 tasks every year and there are ten named Swim Throughout America Labs at main establishments together with: Youngsters’s Healthcare of Atlanta, John Hopkins Medication Baltimore, Rush in Chicago, Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Most cancers Heart in Dallas, Memorial Sloan Kettering Most cancers Heart New York, Infusion Heart at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, UCSF Benioff Youngsters’s Hospital Oakland and San Francisco, Fred Hutch Most cancers Heart, The Swim Throughout America Pediatric Analysis Lab at Columbia College Medical Heart New York, and at Meyer Most cancers Heart at Weill Cornell Medication.
Greater than 150 Olympians help Swim Throughout America, together with Kate Douglass, Michael Phelps, Craig Beardsley, Elizabeth Beisel, Missy Franklin, Ryan Held, Gretchen Walsh, Donna de Varona, Rowdy Gaines, Janel Jorgensen McArdle, Bobby Hackett, Ryan Lochte, Glenn Mills, Cristina Teuscher and lots of extra.
Swim Throughout America, Inc. (SAA) raises cash and consciousness for most cancers analysis, prevention and remedy by way of swimming-related occasions. With the assistance of volunteers, and Olympians, Swim Throughout America is an innovator and chief in giving hope to these preventing most cancers. To study extra go to swimacrossamerica.org, Fb @SwimAcrossAmerica, and Instagram and Twitter @SAASwim.
