Local relay team to swim across Long Island Sound in cancer fundraiser
Jul. 28—On a hot Saturday morning in late July, it's no surprise that hundreds of swimmers and boaters will take to the waters of Long Island Sound.
Some of the swimmers have a bigger goal than cooling off.
On Saturday, more than 200 swimmers and nearly 100 escort boats and safety boats will cross Long Island Sound from Port Jefferson, N.Y., to Captain's Cove Seaport in Bridgeport for the 36th annual Swim Across the Sound fundraiser to benefit cancer patients at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, an affiliate of Hartford Healthcare.
This year, for the first time, the event has been opened to all Hartford Healthcare hospitals across the state, including Backus Hospital in Norwich. Participants raise pledges and donations for the 15.5-mile swim and escort boaters donate their time and fuel to the cause. Each team can direct their money to the hospital of their choice.
The five-person Backus relay swim team is ready to hit the water, said team members Dr. Suzelle Hendsch of Norwich and Kaitlin Bolster of Oakdale, both cancer survivors. They will be joined by Hendsch's son, Matthew Hendsch, a Boston University student, his friend, Nicolas Menendez-Featherson of Avon, a member of the Providence College swim team, both lifeguards at Rocky Neck State Park, and a recruited friend, Haroldo Kawakami of Quaker Nill.
The Backus team has been training Saturday mornings at Rocky Neck and has raised more than $9,300 as of Friday afternoon. Team members frequently checked the online pledge board, pleased each time the total ticked up another notch.
They anxiously awaited word Friday on which teams might be cut from the Long Island Sound swim, since there were more swimmers signed up than available escort boats, Hendsch said.
The team had a back-up plan for a 15.5-mile relay swim in Hendsch's pool, not nearly as fun or exciting, Hendsch said, but a way to secure the pledges for Backus cancer patients in need.
Money raised in the Swim Across Long Island Sound funds programs and services, as well as financial assistance to patients for items not covered by insurance, said a news release from Hartford Healthcare news release.
Dr. Hendsch, 52, has been an OBGYN physician affiliated with Backus for the past 22 years. In 2014, she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer.
"I got all my treatment at Backus, so this is my way of giving back," Hendsch said.
An avid swimmer at the YMCA in Putnam and at the family's home pool, Hendsch answered yes when Backus Hospital President Donna Handley asked her to participate. Hendsch said she committed to the Long Island Sound swim before she learned it was 15.5 miles.
With five team members, each plans to swim for 15 to 30 minutes, taking breaks aboard their escort boat. Each swimmer is expected to swim a total of about three miles.
Bolster, 32, regional director of professional practice for the Hartford Healthcare east region, was diagnosed with pre-melanoma skin cancer four years ago. She was working in Fairbanks, Alaska, and underwent incisions and surgeries. She moved back to the East Coast to be near family while going through treatment. So far, she has not needed chemotherapy, just surgical procedures, she said.
Bolster has worked for Hartford Healthcare for the past year.
"I have always loved swimming, and this is my first year at Hartford Healthcare, and I thought it would be a fun challenge," Bolster said.
The Backus team decided to wear swimsuits rather than wetsuits for the swim, Bolster said. More excited than nervous, Bolster said she has been reading about how to decrease interactions with marine life. Tips include not wearing jewelry and smearing on a cream meant to treat baby rash that is supposed to be good against jellyfish stings. They will give it a try.
Although the swim is Saturday, donations to the Backus swim team can be made through next week at: https://charity.pledgeit.org/t/GyCeMaTmK2/contribute.
For more information, visit www.swimacrossthesound.org.
