One Woman Many Lakes

What to do when you receive the death sentence of a diagnosis? Metastatic breast cancer kills 113 of us every day. How was I going to wrap my head around this disease and get through the next day…and the day after that…and the day after that.

Swimming became my refuge and my salvation. I had been doing sprint triathlons for 24 years when this diagnosis stepped up to try to stop me in my tracks. It has been two years since receiving this gut wrenching diagnosis but I have discovered I could take control of my life by rising up and literally jumping in the water.

It all began while sitting in my oncologist’s office hearing the treatment options and what may lie ahead for me when I asked him if I could still do the 2 1/2 mile swim that I had been training for which was scheduled right after finishing radiation. His response was, “Of course”. Two months later I was in Seattle in the water of Lake Washington swimming as if my life depended on it. It was empowering to conquer this lake and as I came ashore I felt that combining swimming and spreading the word about this disease was now my mission in life.


Fast forward from that day to a beautiful sunny March afternoon in Arizona’s Lake Patagonia with a 56 degree water temperature when I plunged into the water while my husband and dog followed me in a rowboat. We had our homemade sign stating the need for more funding for MBC and how to help. It was a lonely swim with few people on shore but one man stopped me as I exited the water and asked what I was doing. I explained my mission and he said, “I’ll write a check”. That was the beginning of One Woman Many Lakes and the plan to raise funds and spread awareness through swimming became a reality.


Since that first swim and nine months later, I have jumped into twenty-three bodies of water across the country and even took a plunge in Antarctica. People have responded with their pocketbooks and have helped spread the word on this disease but, of course, it is not enough. The young and old are still dying—I know I must continue swimming and advocating until a cure is found.

Now a new year is here and it is time to get in the water again but this time with a twist. The idea began when I read about Lesley Glenn of Chino Hills, California, a hiker who hasn’t let her disease slow her down. She and I connected and began brainstorming about doing a triathlon to highlight the fact that even though MBC is part of our lives now, it will not deter us from doing what we love. We put the word out about someone joining us to do the third leg of the tri and Leslie Falduto from Texas responded that she was a runner and would love to join in.

Now we have a team, a date and a goal—go nationwide and get anyone who has breast cancer, anyone who knows someone with breast cancer or concerned people who want this disease eliminated forever to join in and blast the airways.

On June 28th we want everyone across the country to get involved in doing something physical that day—anything from running to yoga to taking a walk—just get active. Let’s show the world that we are moving, thriving and want to stay this way but need research to keep us going.

Go to www.onewomanmanylakes.org and join our team to stay informed. Click on the advocate button that will provide you with an easy way to send an automated email to major cancer organizations requesting more funding. You will also find out how you and your friends and family can virtually join us on June 28th. Print out a bib, wear it as you do your activity and post it on social media using the hashtag #tri4mbc.

Research is our best hope and if the world starts shouting with us we will have more time being active, loving life and being there for our loved ones—and after all, that’s what matters the most.