2023 Women Swimmin' for Hospicare

Women Swimmin' for Hospicare is a community event that raises money for Hospicare & Palliative Care Services.

Why I Swim 2023

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of Women’s Swimmin,’ a swim across Cayuga Lake in support of Hospicare of Tompkins and Cortland County. I have lost count of the number of swims I have made across our beautiful lake—more than 12 and less than 20? Every year has brought me joy: entering the lake in the early morning alongside 300+ women and our kayak guides is magical. It’s also daunting: the lake is large and when I enter the water on the east side, the west side is just a theory! But I have been repeatedly carried across by knowing you have my back. Thank you for your contributions!

Participating in Women Swimmin’ gives me a chance is to honor the memories of loved ones who received hospice services, and to honor their hospice caregivers. This year my father-in-law, Bernard Katz died after living with Alzheimer’s for nearly 10 years. Bernie was a “how can I help you” kind of guy. He was a talented carpenter and all-around fixer. He was a man of few words, but he knew how to listen and to say just the right thing at the right time to be supportive. He welcomed me to the Katz family with unconditional acceptance. While Bernie’s final year was extremely difficult, having hospice services provided him, and the whole family, with comfort.

The list of those I have lost grows longer with time, but I am grateful for their gifts of love and friendship: Ed, my late husband; my parents Florence and Norman; my mother-in-law Bunny; my brother Ben, my aunts and uncles; and my friend Miriam, all showed me the way to live a life of meaning, to contribute to my community, and to be a loving partner, friend, and parent. Women Swimmin’ is an opportunity to embrace my loved ones’ courage, persistence, and generosity of spirit, so I can go the distance across the lake. And knowing that several of them were given the gift of compassionate care by a hospice employee buoys my spirits while I’m in the water.

I have not been able to participate in the swim for two years, due to two surgeries in both elbows/wrists for nerve compressions. I’m back in the “swim of things” and I am so excited! This year I’ll be “Going the Distance” by swimming laps--I will not be home on the day of the lake swim. My plan is to swim laps to total 24 miles to highlight the 20^th anniversary of the event (1.2 miles distance X 20 years). I am well on my way, and I may even clock more—we’ll see! Please join me in making a big come-back!

I hope you will join me in allowing Hospicare to continue providing outstanding services.

Love,

Ellen