There are aspects of life that must merely be endured, but there are ways we can help one another by easing the burden any way we can.
That’s the goal behind the Enduring Waves Foundation, a nonprofit group run and organized by Emily von Jentzen, a local attorney who swims long distances in lakes to raise money for kids fighting diseases.
This month, more swimmers have a chance to make a difference, during fundraising races called the Flathead Lake Swim Series, taking place at Big Arm State Park, July 18 – 20.
The races, which include a 5K, a 10K, a one-mile and a half-mile, will happen in the open water of Flathead Lake, a familiar playground for von Jentzen, who in 2010 became the just third person to swim the length of the waterway and the first woman to do so.
Von Jentzen formed the Enduring Waves Foundation, which helps organize her fundraising swims, and the foundation is now working in tandem with KATS Masters, the adult swim club in Kalispell, to organize these races.
“We had always talked about wanting to do a race,” von Jentzen said. “We’re hoping to get 50 swimmers.”
Registration for the races is still open, and there have been people signing up from all over the country, she said. Swimmers can register until July 11, but von Jentzen said there may still be a chance to sign up a couple days after that if people are interested.
The goal for this year’s swim series is to raise money for Isabella Allred, a 5-year-old girl from Polson who is in her eighth month of treatment for leukemia. She’s expected to be in treatment for at least two-and-a-half years, von Jentzen said.
Isabella was diagnosed on Aug. 22 last year, her mother Jessica Allred said. Since then, the family has to make at least one trip a month to Spokane for chemotherapy there, and they also give her daily and weekly pill doses of chemotherapy at home.
While Isabella is still very much a 5-year-old at heart, the disease and its treatment have wreaked havoc on her tiny body.
“Having cancer has kind of changed her,” Jessica Allred said. “She really just likes to watch movies. She still will go out and play in the dirt, but we’ve been kind of having a rough time with the heat.”
Isabella also loves swimming with her younger sister, Jasmyn, but the cold water in lakes is too extreme for her overworked body. They still swim in the pool, though, despite it exhausting Isabella.
“She’s really super tired by the end. Chemo messes up her bones and joints and all that,” Jessica Allred said. “It’s hard but it’s good for her. It’s what she needs.”
According to von Jentzen, the money raised through the races will help the Allred family with expenses that health insurance doesn’t cover.
“Travel expenses are not (covered), so we’re going to be helping them out with that,” von Jentzen said.
Isabella also recently told her parents that her bed was too hard – her body is hypersensitive – so the Enduring Waves Foundation is also helping with that.
“The new bed’s been ordered,” von Jentzen said. “It’s on the way.”
As part of the fundraising, Isabella drew a fish design for swim caps, which will be on sale for $5 a piece, and the girl also got to design the T-shirts dedicated to the event. And, since she’s the star of this event, Isabella will also be present.
“She’s going to come to the race and she’s going to sign autographs,” von Jentzen said.
Anyone who signs up for the races will also be qualified for a special on joining the KATS Masters, with their first month’s dues canceled out. It’s a good group for anyone training for a triathlon or looking for swimming buddies, von Jentzen said, with two sanctioned open water and two sanctioned pool practices per week.
The Flathead Lake Swim Series is also sanctioned by U.S. Masters Swimming, and spectators are welcome to watch the athletes perform in the open water. Overall, von Jentzen said the swim series will provide a new type of race for athletes in the valley, and will help a family who could use a boost.
“We’re trying to make this whole process easier for them,” she said.
For more information on the Flathead Lake Swim Series, visit www.racesandfaces.com/mt/flathead-lake-swim-series/2014/registration. For more information about Enduring Waves Foundation, visit www.enduringwaves.com.