Lincoln teen swims to fight breast cancer

Lincoln resident and recent L-S graduate Zoe Borden will again join Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition (MBCC) at the annual statewide Against the Tide event this weekend to pair her passion for swimming with her commitment to fighting breast cancer.

For Zoe, MBCC’s mission to target and prevent environmental contributors to breast cancer is personal. “This event is all the more meaningful to me as I remember my aunt undergoing [successful] surgery and treatment for breast cancer. The diagnosis was a surprise to us all as she’s a nurse practitioner and has always been so health-conscious and fit. Despite this and without an established family history, she developed breast cancer.”

That unexpected diagnosis fueled Zoe’s passion to support MBCC. She believes that understanding and eliminating environmental causes of this disease will have such an overwhelming impact on the lives of so many people. By participating in Against the Tide, she not only honors her aunt but also actively supports the broader efforts toward cancer prevention while doing something she loves: swimming.

She was first introduced to MBCC by Laura Diamond, her long-time aquatic physical therapist. Every year, Laura and Megan Cohen assemble a fundraising team called Team Making Waves to support Against the Tide and MBCC’s mission. Zoe has a neuromuscular condition called nemaline myopathy and started swimming as a toddler.

The water has always been a place where Zoe has felt strong, happy, and at ease. “I’ve been swimming with Laura since I was three years old, and remember her talking about Against the Tide every year. I was so excited when I was finally strong enough to not only support MBCC but participate myself,” she said. This is the fourth year she’s participated.

Zoe and her team will swim in Against the Tide in Hopkinton on Saturday, June 15. For details about the event, which includes several recreational and competitive swims and walks, click here. The website also has donation pages for Team Making Waves and Zoe herself. Funds raised support community education programs, the MBCC Webinar Series, and the newly expanded student environmental health program, all of which are provided free of charge.

This article was based on a press release from MBCC.