Happy Summer friends!

It is summer in Ithaca, New York which means that I am once again training for my upcoming annual swim across Cayuga Lake as part of Women Swimmin' for Hospicare, a fundraiser to support hospice and palliative care services in Tompkins County. The funds raised by this annual event go to support our local hospice residence as well as outpatient services including end-of-life care in the home and counseling and therapy services for clients and their family members. As a healthcare worker in Ithaca since 2001, I have seen firsthand the essential benefit which this organization has made on patients, families, and healthcare in our area. Once again, I am proud and honored to be involved in this special community event and grateful to be able to participate by swimming across one of our region’s most beautiful bodies of water.

This year I am swimming the 1.2 miles across Cayuga Lake to raise funds that help Hospicare with so much, including the following:

- Provide vital medications to ease pain and manage symptoms associated with end-of-life care.

- Provide specialized medical equipment so patients can stay in their own homes, surrounded by friends and family.

- Continue to provide intensive around-the-clock care at the Hospicare residence for patients who need more care than they can receive in their own homes.

- Train more volunteers to deliver complementary therapies to enhance comfort and peace.

- Offer grief counseling sessions to those who need support through one of the most difficult times in life