WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — A Wesley Chapel mother and son plan to swim two miles to raise money for cancer research.
Michelle Deaton and her 12-year-old son, Wyatt, have been practicing three to four times a week at their community pool.
Wyatt is a competitive swimmer with TEAM Elite Aquatics Manta Rays. His mother is a cancer survivor.
Swim Across America Tampa Bay will host its 12th annual open swim on Saturday, May 6. It will be held at North Shore Park in St. Petersburg. The swim raises money to fight cancer at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital.
Swim Across America was founded in 1987 and has raised more than $100 million for cancer research and clinical trials.
Michelle was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018. She always got a yearly mammogram and recalled when she discovered a lump.
"I thought it was nothing because I was 45, and I thought I had a lump, ah it’s not a big deal, I’m too young," she recalled.
Michelle was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer called secretory carcinoma.
"It’s very rare. It use to be called juvenile carcinoma because the average age they found it in were 9-year-old children," said Michelle.
She stresses the importance of an ultrasound which led to her diagnosis. She said a mammogram did not show the lump.
"He put up the ultrasound, and the ultrasound looked like the state of Texas. It was bam....right there! I can’t stress to women enough that the ultrasound is so important."
Michelle needed 11 rounds of chemotherapy and three surgeries. Her cancer has been in remission for the past five years.
She hopes her cancer journey teaches her son and others to never give up.
"Be your own advocate. If you feel something, then you keep pushing until you get the answer that you get because a lot of women are getting cancer younger."
"I’ve had so many friends that have been diagnosed since my diagnosis and some are not so lucky," added Michelle.
Wyatt hopes to raise more than $8,000 for cancer research. To learn more about the swim next month and how to donate, visit here.
