Swim Coach Mona Nyheim-Canales Dies After a Battle with Cancer

Swim coach Mona Nyheim-Canales, 59, has died after a battle with cancer. She turned 59 earlier this month.

Canales was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer last year while coaching as the head age group coach of Pitchfork Aquatics in Arizona. The cancer eventually spread to her brain.

According to a recent post on GoFundMe from Fernando, she was hospitalized last week and received bad reports from her doctor.

“She is not afraid of death…she is the sunshine of our lives…She is so brave and she is in peace…Mona is the bravest, most loving, the most kind and nicest person I have ever known…her cancer spread rapidly all over her brain and now it is lepto meningeal carcinomatosis…” the post read in part.

Nyheim-Canales joined Pitchfork Aquatics with her husband, Fernando Canales, in 2016. The Norway native has worked at all levels of the sport, with over twenty-five years of coaching experience at the club and collegiate level.

Collegiately, she’s worked with the University of Houston, University of Illinois, University of North Texas, Colgate University, and University of Michigan. At the age-group level. Nyheim-Canales has held positions with the Dallas Mustangs, City of Plano Swimmers, and Club Wolverine. Her work has earned her the North Texas Age Group Coach of the Year award and ASCA Age Group Coach of the Year in Michigan.

Nyheim-Canales is also deeply involved in the sport outside of the pool at the international level. She’s been a “highly requested lecturer on the international circuit for both the International Olympic Committee and FINA”, highlighted by her time as a featured speaker at the 2016 FINA World Aquatic Convention. She has also served as the Director for High Performance in Istanbul for the Turkish Swimming Federation, and has put on international clinics for coaches.

In 2023, she was nominated by her LSC for the inaugural USA Swimming’s Women Coaches in Governance program, which seeks to “unite and empower women coaches a the LSC governance level.”

Nyheim-Canales graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Arizona, where she was a four-year letter winner. She went on to earn two Master’s degrees, one in Science in Sport and Exercise Psychology from Illinois, and the other in Physical Education/Exercise Science from Houston.

Nyheim-Canales and her husband have two sons, Francisco and Thor.

As news of her passing spread, tributes poured out to her on social media.

Canales stayed gracious and positive throughout her cancer, posting positive messages on Facebook.