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Owen Johnson and his father BradJohnson are avid participants in SwimAcross America.
Owen Johnson may only be 13 years old, but he is already keenly aware of the impact fundraising can have on treating cancer. Owen’s father, Brad Johnson, was diagnosed with stage four head and neck cancer before Owen was born. Brad is alive today and celebrating 20 years cancer free due to new treatments discovered by cancer researchers, like those funded by Swim Across America.
On June 10, Owen will join his dad in “The Dynamic Duo,” along with hundreds of other swimmers, all making waves to fight cancer in the Swim Across America Charleston-Kiawah open water swim.
This isn’t the first time Owen has raised funds for cancer research. In 2020, the then-11-year-old had the idea to give his dad an unforgettable Christmas present. Instead of exchanging gifts, Owen set up a GoFundMe in honor of his father’s fight against cancer. Owen raised more than $2,000 and since then, has raised another $4,000 through his participation in the Swim Across America – Charleston-Kiawah events. It is Owen and Brad’s combined goal this year to raise $20,000 for cancer research through Swim Across America Charleston-Kiawah.
“Swim Across America provides grant funding directly to researchers,” Owen notes. “My Dad was the event director for Swim Across America CharlestonKiawah open water swim for several years. With Swim Across America supporting cancer researchers at Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston where we live, it seemed like a great opportunity to try and raise more money for cancer research and treatment right here in our own community.”
Swim Across America Charleston-Kiawah open water swim was established in 2018. In the previous five years, Swim Across America Charleston-Kiawah has raised more than $250,000 for its beneficiary, the Hollings Cancer Center at MUSC. The annual event is held at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Night Heron Park on Kiawah Island.
“I’m really excited to celebrate 20 years of my Dad being cancer free,” says Owen. “He is amazing. Not only has he beat cancer, he has accomplished Ironman events, marathons, Triathlon World Championships and had a family. I hope that by raising money for Swim Across America, donations will help researchers get the funding they need to help more cancer survivors like my Dad.”
Swim Across America was founded in 1987 with its first open water event in Long Island Sound. Since that time, the nonprofit organization has raised more than $100 million to fight cancer. In its 36 years of “making waves to fight cancer,” more than 100,000 swimmers and 150 Olympians have swum the circumference of the earth three times, uniting a movement to fight cancer that has created a groundswell of support spanning all generations. Today, more than 24 communities hold open water swims and charity pool swims each year — from Nantucket to under the Golden Gate Bridge — which support innovative cancer research, detection and patient programs.
Swim Across America’s funding of clinical trials for patients helped contribute to four FDA approved life-saving immunotherapy cancer treatments: Yervoy, Opdivo, Tecentriq and Keytruda. More than 60 scientific grants are funded each year, and there are now 10 dedicated Swim Across America labs at major institutions.
To learn more about the Swim Across America Charleston-Kiawah open water swim or register to swim, donate or be a land or water volunteer, visit swimacrossamerica.org/charleston.
