Post contributed by Ted Harris and Brianne Lindblad
Integrity, selflessness, positivity, toughness, determination, and kindness are all words that embody former Cal and KING aquatics swimmer Matt Benoit. Matt can also be described by both a swimmer and swammer because of his continued involvement in the sport through the master’s Olympic club in San Francisco. He even participated in one of the most recent Waikiki rough open water swims off the coast of Hawaii!
Matt now faces a battle unlike any he has faced in the water, an uphill battle against a form of sarcoma cancer in his pancreas and liver. What makes his battle even harder is the loss of his mother, who passed away less than a year ago after a two year fight with lung cancer. Swimming is a huge part of Matt’s life. Whether swimming for KING and Cal or coaching the summer league team in his hometown of Kent, Washington, Matt has always supported the sport. Now it is our turn to support Matt. Follow these links to a fundraising page and a tumblr page that have been set up to help support the Benoit family in their continued fight against cancer. The support already given on these pages has been extremely encouraging to Matt and his family, and we thus hope that Matt’s extended swimming family will continue to support Matt through this hard-fought battle.
Please consider donating or showing your support through the fundraising page and a tumblr page to support Matt and his family. Thank you, and please keep Matt in your thoughts and prayers!
Another fundraiser for sarcoma research is the Ted Mullin Hour of Power. It is named after Ted Mullin, a guy who swam for Carleton College in Minnesota. He died I believe in 2006. Anyways, the Hour of Power was started by his parents and swim team and happens every year not only with all the MIAC schools, but schools, clubs, and other teams all around the world. This was one of the highest participating years with around 1300 athletes.
With another swimmer diagnosed with this more rare form of cancer, and a platform like swimswam and the swimming community, the Ted Mullin Hour of Power could become a huge deal nationwide. All information can be found on their site… Read more »