Sports
Westwood’s Sheryl Bierden To “Swim Across America”
This will be the Westwood, MA's resident's twelfth relay to raise money for cancer.
Sheryl Bierden will participate in Swim Across America on July 12. Friday’s twenty-two mile relay in Boston Harbor will be her twelfth time participating in the event, which benefits the Dana-Farber Cancer Center and Mass General hospital’s pediatric oncology research.
“I do it because I feel it is my purpose in life to help other people. I have this weird gift of being able to swim long distances and I've found a way to turn that into raising money to fund cancer research. Have to do what I can and whatever gifts I have, to make this world a better place. So that's what got me started 12 years ago. What has kept me returning year after year, is the seemingly never ending ( and sadly growing) list of friends and family members who have been diagnosed with cancer. It seems to never end, hopefully with this event and so many other events like it across the world each year, we will finally win this fight against cancer,” she explains.
Bierden dubs her fundraising “pretty low key- I send out an email to my list of supporters from over the years, and also make a couple of posts on Facebook. I'll post during the swim as well, and always pick up a few more donations that way.” You can donate to her swim here.
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A physical therapist, she swam competitively while she attended Boston University. “ [I] got back into swimming because of Swim Across America. Trained on my own for a few years before joining a masters team. Currently I swim with the Charles River Aquatics Masters out of Harvard University. I competed for a while, but now just like the challenge of the workouts. I've done lots of open water swims in my life (longest swim was a 25k!), but don't tend to compete these days. I do long swims at Walden Pond at least once a week, and do other long ocean swims when the occasion arises. I am also on the race committee of the Charles River One Mile Swim Race which is held each June. For that I am the volunteer and lifeguard coordinator, which means I have to recruit and manage 40ish volunteers for race day.”
“I really just want the world to be a better place!” The mother of three sons (18, 16, 14) effuses. Best wishes on Friday, Sheryl.