Congratulations to Seton Swimming for completing our 10th Annual Cystic Fibrosis Children’s Miracle Network Swim-a-thon. As a team, we have raised over $25,512 so far (as of 1/17/22 at 1:00 p.m.) and had 63 swimmers participate. 61 of them were able to complete at least 200 lengths of the pool!
To put that distance in perspective, it is the equivalent of:
- 5,000 yards
- Nearly 3 miles
- Ten (10) 500-yard freestyle events – in a row
- About 2/3rds of the way across the Chesapeake Bay
We will keep the fundraising site up and running through January 15th so that each Fundraising Team has a chance to finish the job. Here’s a link to our latest totals.
As of January 5th, Team Ceili (Koehr, $6,300), Team, Nathan (Luevano, $4,755 and Team JJ (Brox, $4,750) hold a commanding lead in the fundraising competition with all of the team raising more than any team in Seton Swimming history. These teams were helped quite a bit by the prolific fundraising efforts of Gus Kohlhaas, Drew Nguyen, Michael McGrath, Clara Condon, Betsy Arnold, and Ceili Koehr who all brought in 4-digit totals. And here is where the rest of the teams stand:
- Team Teresa (Bingham) $2,405.00
- Team Lily (Byers) $2,100.00
- Team Joey (Dealey) $1,085.00
- Team Isabelle (Luevano) $ 960.00
- Team Mary (O’Malley) $ 675.00
- Team Kevin (Orellana) $ 600.00
- Team Joe (Wilson) $ 552.00
Life Lessons
Today’s swim was truly a great accomplishment for many of these swimmers, particularly some of the younger 6th and 7th graders. Aside from the great work we did on behalf of Cystic Fibrosis, I hope that many of us learned a valuable life lesson – We can always do more than we think we can do. Or as alumni lap counter Meghan O’Malley reminded me, the Navy SEALS say that when you think you are completely maxed out, you’ve reached 40% of your potential.
This topic is so important to me that I chose to make it the subject of my Swimming Awards Banquet Speech two years ago: Swimming Awards 2020-Let’s Literally Astound Ourselves
There were a number of swimmers who literally astounded themselves today. There are so many swimmers I could mention here – swimmers like Cora Kramer (7), Penny Kramer (7), Maria McGrath (6), Betsy Arnold (6), Elizabeth Hurley (6), Nora Blanchette (8), and Aoife Haggerty (7).
These swimmers swam for nearly three (3) hours continuously and finished the entire 200 lengths. If we just did what we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.
The Big Reason We Swam Today
Let’s not forget the cause for which we all fought on a cold New Year’s Eve – the childhood disease, Cystic Fibrosis.
Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 35,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections. It can also obstruct the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.
In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 40s and beyond – the median life expectancy is now in the late 40s.
There are a number of families close to the Seton community affected by Cystic Fibrosis and all of the life limiting challenges it imposes including the Given’s, the Kohlhaas’ and the Manley’s. The wonderful news is that scientists are closer than ever to a cure. The scientists we are supporting at the CF Foundation and Johns Hopkins University are studying new medications right now that hold the promise for a normal life for those who struggle with Cystic Fibrosis.
In January of 2012, the year we first swam our Seton Swim-a-thon, the CF Foundation announced its new medication, Kalydeco, which essentially cures one mutation of the disease. This medication works effectively in 4% of the CF population, but we can help the other 96% who hope and pray that the cure is found for them.
In the past five years, research funded by money like the money we raised this past weekend led to a new drug called Orkanbi which showed remarkable results with the Given kids. Another drug in the pipeline is Vertex 809 which, if it works, will cure the most common mutation and impact the lives of the greatest number of people affected by Cystic Fibrosis.
Very recently, there has been an exciting new development with a new drug called Trikafta. Trikafta attempts to treat the underlying problem at the cellular level. They call it a “potentiator” that opens the channels in the cell walls to allow sodium chloride ions to pass through. One common test for Cystic Fibrosis is called a “sweat test”. Doctors can test the salt content of the sweat to determine if the body is properly absorbing all of the salt it needs.
Great Swim-a-thon Performers
Here were the swimmers who performed so well this morning:
- Clara Condon (9) 1:10.15
- Lucy Garvey (12) 1:11.53
- Mary Pennefather (11) 1:16.52
- Ariana Aldeguer (7) 1:18.13
- Lily Byers (12) 1:19.54
- Mick Fioramonti (10) 1:20.40
- Emily Flynn (12) 1:20.41
- Joe Wilson (11) 1:20.49
- Anne Konstanty (Alum) 1:21.33
- JJ Brox (11) 1:21.38
- William Sokban (9) 1:22.53
- Max Wilson (9) 1:23.29
- Céilí Koehr (12) 1:24.58
- Connor Koehr (9) 1:25.37
- Anastasia Garvey (8) 1:26.08
- Peter Konstanty (10) 1:28.25
- Michael McGrath (10) 1:30.56
- Seth Kellogg (9) 1:31.40
- Drew Nguyen (9) 1:32.10
- Jed Albin (10) 1:33.20
- Mary O’Malley (12) 1:33.30
- Michael Brox (9) 1:34.32
- Kateri Mantooth (11) 1:34.49
- Maggie Gibbons (10) 1:35.30
- Joseph Borneman (9) 1:36.19
- Aaron Bishop (10) 1:34.59
- Haley Fifield (9) 1:38.09
- Greg Bauer (8) 1:42.15
- Moira Haggerty (11) 1:43.02
- Josh Fioramonti (8) 1:43.16
- Daniel Sokban (7) 1:45.24
- Lucy Cunningham (9) 1:45.57
- Elizabeth Francis (9) 1:46.17
- Rose Waldron (9) 1:48.47
- Sophia Zadnik (12) 1:49.25
- Coach Jerry Zadnik (60) 1:50.07
- Dominic Judge (7) 1:51.16
- Rebekah DeWolf (12) 1:56.20
- Shannon O’Malley 1:58.58
- Gabriella Russo (7) 1:59.00
- Jenna Novecosky (11) 2:00.44
- Nora Blanchette (8) 2:01.50
- Anna McGrath (9) 2:05.12
- Maria Miller (8) 2:08.00
- Jonas Wilson (6) 2:08.40
- Michael Zahorchak (7) 2:08.50
- Daniel Hurley (8) 2:09.33
- Molly Bauer (9) 2:10.18
- Orla Haggerty (9) 2:10.12
- Noemi Rodriguez (7) 2:12.10
- Cora Kramer (7) 2:13.00
- Allison Quispe (8) 2:18.00
- Sophia Kanazeh (12) 2:18.20
- Elizabeth Hurley (6) 2:18.45
- Aoife Haggerty (7) 2:19.00
- Betsy Arnold (6) 2:21.18
- Maria McGrath (6) 2:25.00
- Colette Kramer (8) 2:37.15
- Ryan Baughman (8) 2:40.03
- Penny Kramer (7) 2:45.11
- Anthony Morales (8) 2:46.52
- Kyleigh Fifield (7) 170 lengths
- Emma Reynolds (11) 152 lengths
One last thing: Thank you to the Seton Swimmers who hung around to the end to cheer for their teammates. I saw Mary Pennefather, Céilí Koehr, Mary O’Malley, Lucy Garvey, Shannon O’Malley, Kateri Mantooth, Amelia Geary, Connor Koehr, Sofia Zadnik, Anne Konstanty (alum), Clara Condon, Haley Fifield, Molly Bauer, Mary Catherine Hurley, and Rosie Waldron all crowded around the end of the pool cheering the final finishers.
Remember the “S” in our GEMS? Sacrifice – We offer it up, we love all our teammates. This was a great example of the love of which we speak.
I’m very proud of what we accomplished today. Not only did we do some small part to help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis, many of us learned a valuable life lesson: that we are capable of so much more than we think we are.
Great job Seton Swimming!
Coach Jim Koehr