Skip to main content

'You have to keep going': Woman with terminal cancer swims across MN lake

  • Author:
  • Updated:
    Original:

The woman behind "One Woman, Many Lakes" made a stop in Minneapolis Tuesday to help raise funds and awareness for metastatic breast cancer research.

Mary Gooze of Oregon, Wisconsin, was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in 2012, and 20 months after her last radiation treatment she got the news: the cancer metastasized to her bones, her website says.

“Something like this just stops you in your tracks, but you have to keep going," she told the Oregon Observer.

And that's what she did, even after the longtime triathlete had been told by her doctor she could no longer run.

Instead, she channeled her love of swimming into something to help those with a similar diagnosis – she began a campaign to swim across lakes around the country to raise money for METAvivor, an organization that directs 100 percent of all donations to metastatic cancer research, her website notes.

“When you get a diagnosis like this, it’s always on your mind,” Gooze told the Oregon Observer. “So this has been a good focus for me and my husband – it’s very difficult for him, too.”

Gooze has swum more than 23 miles in more than a dozen lakes around the country, and on Tuesday morning she marked her 14th swim by jumping into Lake Nokomis, according to her blog.

Friends, supporters, boaters and other swimmers were there to cheer her on, FOX 9 reports.

Metastatic breast cancer

Roughly 20-30 percent of people who are diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer will develop metastatic breast cancer, the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network says, and 100 percent of breast cancer deaths are because of metastasis (when cancer spreads to a vital organ).

Metastatic breast cancer leads to about 40,000 deaths per year, but Gooze's website notes there is very little funding into finding a treatment – only 2 percent of breast cancer research dollars go toward researching metastatic breast cancer.

“The funding and the awareness are both lacking,” Gooze told the Lakeland Times. “People just don’t understand metastatic breast cancer. They think it’s something we didn’t do, that we don’t take care of ourselves and it has nothing to do with that.”

Finding this out prompted her to begin her "One Woman, Many Lakes" campaign.

“It’s as if we were ignored and forgotten, which made me mad, so I decided that I needed to bring awareness to this disease. I knew I loved to swim and that it was healthy for me,” she told the Lakeland Times.

Next Up

Luigi Mangione

Luigi Mangione charged with murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

The 26-year-old is accused of fatally shooting the 50-year-old Thompson in New York City last week.

cat-1455468_1280

Animal mistreatment case: Authorities find bones and ash, 170 pets unaccounted for

Two people have been arrested amid the ongoing investigation in Beltrami County.

OG ZaZa

New Haven-style pizzeria OG Zaza to open inside St. Paul distillery

The pizza offerings at Lake Monster Brewing and King Coil Spirits are headed in a new direction.

Target-exclusive Taylor Swift tour book breaks sales records

The Minneapolis-based retailer is enjoying the windfall of the record-breaking Eras Tour.

Vehicle Fire

Authorities asking for help finding source of car fire in Stearns County

According to police, the caller reported hearing a loud "boom," followed by two or three others.

DTH_lrg

Federal Prison Camp in Duluth to close; inmates and staff to relocate

On Thursday, the Federal Bureau of Prisons announced multiple facility closures nationwide, including the FPC in Duluth.

marlon mug

Father of toddler who fatally shot Twin Cities man sent to prison

Officers spoke with White, and before denying he knew where the gun was, he later admitted to removing the weapon and placing it in his car.

Deer standing, hunting

Hunter airlifted after deer stand fall in Wadena County

The man had fallen about 15 feet while muzzleloader hunting.

Police name 'person of interest' arrested in CEO shooting investigation

Police are commending a McDonalds employee who provided the tip Monday.

Screenshot 2024-12-09 at 10.18.10 AM

How much snow fell during Sunday-Monday storm in northern Minnesota?

Heavy snow caused disruption in the north of the state.

Live Nation to operate Shakopee amphitheater opening in 2025

Each summer concert season is expected to bring at least 30 events.

UCare

UCare closes Minneapolis and Duluth offices after 'concerning' comment

This comes a few days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed in New York City.

Related