Jack Punswick Won A State Title. Then, He Had To Battle Cancer.

Jack Punswick‘s swimming career was supposed to be a Cinderella story.

During the spring of his sophomore year, Jack was cut from his high school baseball team, forcing him to give up the sport he played his whole life. Needing a new outlet, he joined the high school swim team. When he first started swimming, he struggled to break 1:10 in the 100-yard breaststroke. But after joining his local club team and competing for a year, he won the Kansas 6A state title in the event his junior season and clocked a best time of 57.94. Headed into his senior season, he qualified for the USA Swimming Futures Championship and Speedo Sectionals and set his mind on swimming either Division I or Division II in college.

Then, Jack started to feel ill.

courtesy of Eric Punswick

Jack first experienced symptoms before he traveled to futures in Minneapolis on July 24, and got diagnosed with pneumonia. At first, he brushed it aside as regular illness. But after competing at Futures, he discovered swollen lymph nodes on his neck, which grew bigger over time. After taking his first recruiting visit to the University of Nebraska-Omaha on September 8, he finally decided to get them checked out.

A few days later, Jack was diagnosed with stage II Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of cancer. Suddenly, all of the plans he had for his swimming career came to a stop.

“It was a blow,” Jack said of his diagnosis. “Like you never thought it would happen to you, right? And then it happens to you, and you’re like, ‘now what?’ It’s kind of like an alternate reality where now you need to prioritize your health.”

“Instead of trying to swim, I need to start working on recovering. Because I’ve noticed that going to practice, I mean, it sucks. It hurts trying to swim, it hurts a lot more. I can’t do the same aerobic sets. I’ve noticed my lung capacity has shrunk a lot.”

In a matter of days, Jack’s schedule went from being filled with recruiting trips and swim meets to chemotherapy appointments and check-ups. His parents, Karen and Eric Punswick, were also thrown into foreign territory, as their family never had history with Hodgkin lymphoma (their only immediate relative with cancer was Eric’s mother, who battled breast cancer without going through chemotherapy). Karen had to take temporary leave from her job as a high school English teacher to help her son.

Jack, however, didn’t view cancer as a ‘struggle,’ but instead as a barrier that he’s capable of breaking down. He’s determined to defend his state title and take his swimming career back to what it was before, but with a new perspective and the people around him helping him through his journey.

“There are not adequate words to describe the feeling of any parent being told that her child has cancer,” Karen said. “Everything comes to a screeching halt, and what you realize is that sometimes you have to take things moment by moment, day by day. We have always said that we can do anything together as a family, we can get through anything.”

To Swim or Not to Swim?

When Jack decided to keep swimming after his diagnosis, his parents were initially hesitant, worried that the sports would be too physically draining on his body. However, seeing Jack’s drive to succeed despite adversity made them proudly stand behind his choice.

“Jack has been of the mindset that he is going back to the state meet,” Karen said. “He has a mindset that he makes goals and sets them…it is something that I admire tremendously about him. I mean, as a parent, you’re always concerned about you’re child’s safety…but Jack has been resilient so many times in his life that he is built for this journey.”

Because of Jack’s cancer diagnosis, he canceled his scheduled recruiting trips, opting to take a gap year before going to college. In addition, he withdrew from all of his fall swimming competitions — he wouldn’t be racing until he had to qualify for state championships in early 2025.

Instead, Jack began chemotherapy on September 19. His chemotherapy appointments occur every two weeks until December 26, which is just a little under two months before his state championship meet. He’ll then have a final screening in late February, which is when he is projected to be cancer-free. According to Jack, the survival rate for his specific form of Hodgkin lymphoma is 98%, meaning that it is curable with treatment.

Right now, Jack is doing two-hour sessions once-a-day, almost every day of the week, with his club team, the Cool Swim Team. However, on the weeks that he has chemotherapy, he becomes so sick that he has to skip practice from Thursday through Sunday.

“For the first couple days after, it’s probably the worst feeling you’ll ever feel,” Jack said of chemotherapy. “You’re extremely nauseous, you don’t want to get out of bed, and overall, just a feeling of fatigue and [disgust]. But as you progress further into the week, especially after you move your body and you eat well, you feel so much better.”

Jack before senior homecoming, courtesy of Eric Punswick

Because Jack has a port in his chest used to receive chemotherapy treatment, backstroke training is painful for him. He also struggles to swim butterfly given the overall strain it puts on his body. He trains primarily breaststroke, his strongest stroke, and does the occasional aerobic freestyle workout. Most of his workouts are focused on technique — he jokingly calls this training period a “five-month taper.”

Even with illness and physical limitations disrupting his training, Jack still appreciates what swimming can do for him in this phase of his life. Alongside school, it gives him a sense of normalcy and something to chase after. He’s also seeing flashes of his old self while swimming — a few weeks ago, he did a broken 100 breast in practice, and clocked a 59-point time.

“I can’t think of a better sport for [Jack] to be involved in while going through this,” Eric said of swimming. “Because it’s all about making yourself improve those personal records that you get, and there’s no asterisk on it…we’re jut blessed that this is a part of Jack, and he’s able to do this while going through the biggest race that he’s facing, which is beating cancer.”

Throughout Jack’s journey, his family supported him every step along the way. Karen and Eric have taken time out of their jobs to drive him to his chemotherapy and screening appointments. Jack’s younger sister, Grace, made bracelets and t-shirts reading “Team Jack” with her softball team. Jack’s younger brother, Luke, voluntarily shaved his head when Jack went bald just 45 minutes before his senior homecoming, and Eric followed suit. Jack’s older sister, Anna, who is away at college, regularly FaceTimes him and sends him Instagram reels.

While his family uplifts him, Jack is also embracing the struggle of cancer upfront, rather than being ashamed of it.

“When you ask, ‘How are we?’ Resilient. Jack is so strong,” Karen said. “It’s one thing to be going through cancer your own self…but then also, he talks about how he gets double takes and sometimes triple takes by people, and he’s like, ‘Why would I hide? Why would I wear hats to cover my head? Why would I?'”

“He is just so strong and courageous and brave in every aspect of his life. He’s my hero. Absolutely my hero.”

The Future

Today, Jack’s cancer is in partial remission, with his tumors getting progressively smaller over time. While he’s recovering, he’s had the chance to reflect upon his future, realizing that his battle may be a blessing in disguise.

Initially, Jack wanted to study civil engineering in college. But because of his cancer diagnosis, he now wants to be a physical therapist, as forming close relationships with his doctors made him discover that he wanted to dedicate the rest of his life helping others. In addition, he believes his swimming expertise would also assist him in this field.

“I want to do something bigger than myself,” Jack said. “After that cancer diagnosis and I saw people put smiles on my faces and make me feel better, I was like, ‘this is what I’m going to do.'”

Jack’s cancer recovery journey has also given him some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities on a more recent timeline. He was granted a “wish” from the Make-A-Wish foundation and will use it to take a vacation with his family in either Hawaii or the Bahamas. In addition, he’s gotten to connect with other swimmers who have beaten Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as professional athletes like MLB player Anthony Rizzo and New Orleans Saints tight end Foster Moreau.

Although the fast ascent of Jack’s swimming career didn’t last forever, nor was it a Cinderella story, it may be something better. He took an improbable turn on his path, but it’s one that makes his arc all the more special.

“I’m just proud of [Jack]. He could have crumbled on this one. He could have crumbled other times in his journey with swimming, and he’s looking at it like, ‘I’m still going to make it, I’m still going to swim in college and I’m going to beat this,'” Eric said. “And that mentality is just total grit. He has faith and he’s gonna make it.”