THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CAME OUT ON 9/10/11
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) would like to thank all the swimmers, kayakers, boaters, sponsors, and volunteers for their involvement in the 20th Annual Hudson River Swim For Life on September 10, 2011. Thanks to the efforts of many, $150,000 was raised!
Please join us in 2012! The Hudson River Swim For Life is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, September 15, 2012. Registration will open online in May. For more information or to be added to our mailing list please contact Diandra or call (914) 949 0084
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OUR MISSIONSince its inception, the mission of the Hudson River Swim for Life has been to raise awareness of the Hudson River, promote swimming as a lifelong form of fitness, and to raise funds for the ongoing efforts of charities in the community. Overall, the event has raised approximately $2 million for local non-profit organizations.
In 2011 The Hudson River Swim For Life will be benefitting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. Since the first funding in 1954, LLS has awarded more than $700 million in research funding. For more information about LLS please visit www.lls.org/wch or contact The Westchester/Hudson Valley Chapter at 914-949-0084.
Our environment mission is to make the swim's environmental impact as small as possible and to raise awareness among athletes about their role in environmental
sustainability.
The swim is going green again this year by handing out reusable water bottles that can be refilled at our watering stations in addition to having recycling containers displayed throughout the park.
Check these sites out for advice on "going green:"
http://www.thedailygreen.com/
http://www.nature.org/activities/everydayenv.html
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Julia: 2011 Swim For Life Honored Hero
When Julia was 4 1/2. she was a vibrant, animated little girl. She was registered to start kindergarten in the fall and was taking dance classes, which she loved very much. Just five days before her first dance recital and preschool graduation, she received a diagnosis that would change her life forever.
Her parents noticed something was not right with their daughter, the little girl who was always so full of life and energy. Julia was becoming too tired 
to walk to the house from the car, she began to take naps again and was unusually irritable. She became pale, was losing weight, developing bruises all over her body, and has unexplainable fevers that wouldn't go away. After a visit to the pediatrician, she was rushed to Maria Fareri Children's Hospital. By the end of that day, Julia was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). At 4 1/2 Julia began 27 months of chemotherapy and the fight of her young life.
Within days, Julia had surgery to have a port catheter put in her chest. This device would allow the doctors to administer chemo and draw blood without destroying Julia's veins. She would also start with weekly hospital visits along with spinal taps, bone marrow biopsies, anesthesia, vomiting, weight gain and craving spaghetti and meatballs for breakfast.
Julia was not able to dance in her recital and would have to wait a full year before starting kindergarten. Her immune system was not strong enough to be around other children and she would have to wear a mask anytime she was in public. Just as Julia was beginning to adjust to these new changes, her beautiful soft curls began to fall out leaving her bald.
Now Julia is now 7 years old and in 1st grade. She is in remission and has been off chemo for several months. She is a "girly girl" who enjoys dressing up and is so excited to have her hair back! She has gone back to her old routine including her dance classes. Julia's combination of charisma and wisdom along with her experience with cancer has made her wise beyond her years.
