I have long been fascinated by the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, having been born in the year of its fateful voyage. In celebration of my 50th birthday and to honor the legacy of the 29 sailors lost 50 years ago, I am honored to be part of the final leg of the once-in-a-lifetime Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim that ends on Belle Isle in Detroit, while raising funds to preserve the Whitefish Point Lighthouse, an important beacon for all vessels entering or leaving Lake Superior, a stretch known as "Shipwreck Coast."
Growing up in Ohio, I started swimming at the age of 2, competitively at 5, and went on to be a Division I swimmer at Cleveland State University and academic all-star. I have completed four Ironman triathlons, open water swim events in three of the Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Erie), and a historic canoe expedition across the Everglades (Willoughby Expedition) that qualified me for membership in The Explorers Club.
As a professor in environmental toxicology at University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) and affiliate faculty at Wayne State University (Detroit, MI), my research is dedicated to investigating emerging contaminants in aquatic environments to advance human, animal, and environmental health. I specifically chose the final leg of this historic swim because I conduct research in the Lake Huron to Erie corridor, which contains 4 of 31 Great Lakes Areas of Concern as designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency due to significant environmental degradation. I hope my swim will also bring awareness to the health of this important corridor, which serves as an international shipping route, the drinking water source for more than 4 million people, and includes the only International Wildlife Refuge in North America, an important habitat for over 500 native fish, wildlife, plant, and freshwater mussel species.
I dedicate my swim to all lost mariners, as well as to my family, particularly my three children and my dad, who always pushed me to do hard things and always showed up to cheer me on.
No donation is too small!
Here is more information about the event and route.
