Friends,

This is year 24 swimming in honor and memory of daughter Anne, who died Dec. 30th, 1998 by reason of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It is also the 24th year that I have acted as Captain of Team Anne, Mike and Friends, but is the first year that I, too, have been stricken with a cancer and am undergoing treatment as I write this at the Rush Cancer Center.  I am optimistic about the treatment process and with the help of the kind doctors and staff at Rush, are going to beat my disease and I expect to swim in the lake on August 6th as a 'survivor'.  24 years ago, my chances would be much less favorable than now, thanks to all the progress that has been made at Rush and elsewhere with the help of donors like you.  For that I have a real personal reason to be grateful for all that you have done. 

 Anne would want us to swim and help continue the fight against various cancers through research, and we're proud of the work we've done with Team Anne, Mike and Friends to support the efforts of fine researchers each of these past 23 years.

This year I'm registered to swim a mile in the lake at the Open Water event in Chicago, but I'm going to again swim 23 miles in Anne's memory over time in the pool to further the challenge and the satisfaction of this work.

Please consider and make a  100% tax deductible donation, which will help fund cancer research, diagnosis, prevention and treatment at Rush University Cancer Research Center, located just a couple of miles from our beach in Chicago.  

You can also help me by passing this message along to others who may be interested in being a part of Swim Across America, Chicago.

You can find out more about the Swim Across America organization by visiting www.swimacrossamerica.org/chicago

Thanks so very much!

Steve Schlegel (aka "Cap'n" Steve)