By Anne W. Semmes
8/6/2021
Because of a Connecticut childhood friendship dating back over 40 years, some 300 swimmers and 100 volunteers will gather this Sunday on the shore of Long Island Sound at the Stamford-Greenwich border for Swim Across America (SAA), a national fundraising event that has raised over $100 million to combat cancer. The local event – Swim Across America Fairfield County is celebrating its 15th year and will feature a three-mile swim, a mile and a half, and a half-mile swim by the headquarters of the Swim’s local beneficiary, the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT).
Connecticut resident Matt Vossler, now 58 and living in Darien, founded Swim Across America with his childhood friend Jeff Keith in 1987. At age 12, Keith was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, losing a leg to the disease. In 2001, ACGT was founded by Greenwich’s Edward and Barbara Netter after losing their daughter-in-law to breast cancer. Their vision for the organization has thus far realized in $4.3 million for research leading to profound scientific breakthroughs and completely new approaches to treating cancer with immunotherapy and gene therapy.
Co-chairing the Swim event is Old Greenwich resident Cristy Fraser who lost her 20-year-old son Julian to osteosarcoma in 2017. Julian was a 2014 graduate of Greenwich High School (GHS), captain of the GHS Swim Team and Water Polo Team, a four-time All-American in swimming and an All-American water polo player.
“Julian fought bravely for 10 months,” said Fraser, “but the treatments for this cancer are 30-years-old and cannot beat or even slow down this very aggressive form of cancer…I am challenging myself by swimming in the Greenwich-Stamford Open Water Swim – as I truly believe that its fundraising efforts make a difference in our fight against cancer.”
Fraser’s husband Alec and two other sons Andrew and Michael regularly swim the three-mile in Julian’s honor as part of Team Julian, one of the largest teams participating in Swim Across America Fairfield County with some 90 swimmers having participated.
Serving as Julian Team Captain this year is 15-year SAA swimmer Peter Carlson of Riverside, jumping in to swim his three miles. Carlson has single-handily raised more than $100,000 for Swim Across America Fairfield County. This year he is swimming in memory of several friends he said, “who have lost their battle with cancer over this past year, and in honor of several other friends who are currently fighting courageous battles.” Joining their swimming dad will be daughters Kellen and Porter while mother Sue helps run the merchandise table at the event.
Another Old Greenwich family – Rob and Julie Colligan and daughter Elizabeth, have been involved with Swim Across America Fairfield County from its inception. Rob swims the three-mile swim, and Julie serves as the volunteer coordinator, organizing the 100’s of volunteers – and she regularly swims as does daughter Elizabeth.
Longtime GHS swim coach Terry Lowe is a veteran Team Julian swimmer. Today he supports Team Julian by encouraging members of the GHS swim team to participate to honor their former captain, Julian Fraser. He’s impressed he said by his swimmers’ willingness to participate in the annual SAA swim. They enjoy the camaraderie of the event and the enthusiasm of their fellow teammates participating in the swim. They feel a special connection to the SAA effort to help in the research to cure cancer in memory of Julian.”
Guest speaker at this year’s SAA event will be Vicki Bunke from Georgia, who has been busy this summer swimming in 14 open water swims across the U.S. in honor of her daughter Grace, whom she lost age 14 in 2018 to pediatric osteosarcoma — the same cancer that took the life of Greenwich resident Julian Fraser.
Grace will be honored by her “Team Amazing Grace” Team” formed when she was swimming while recuperating from a partial leg amputation and cancer treatment. During that treatment Grace joined her varsity high school swim team, earned her national cap for the U.S. Paralympic team in 2017, and participated in the 2017 Swim Across America – Atlanta open water charity swim near her home.
“It’s usually parents who leave legacies for our children,” commented Vicki Bunke in the docu-series, “WaveMakers,” recently on the Discovery Life Network. “Grace left a legacy for us. She was the number one fundraiser for pediatric research with Swim Across America before she passed away, and if she were here today, she would be swimming to fight this awful disease for others. It’s Grace’s spirit that brings us all together for this cause.”
To learn more about Swim Across America Fairfield County or to register to swim, volunteer or donate, visit swimacrossamerica.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @SAASwim.
