Julia Brookshire is swimming a 5K from Europe to Asia to raise money in the fight against cancer.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte woman is about to complete a historic cross-continental swim in hopes of making waves in the fight against cancer.
“I swim every single day,” Julia Brookshire told WCNC Charlotte’s Myles Harris about her passion for swimming.
In remission from her own cancer, Brookshire will swim 5K from Europe to Asia on August 30. She will do this in the country of Turkey, which straddles the two continents.
For Brookshire, every stroke is about making an impact toward funding cancer research,
“It’s not about me, It’s about all the other people out there who have cancer that are fighting,” she explained.
Brookshire is a cancer survivor herself. She was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. She kept that diagnosis private until taking part in this open swim.
“If I kept it confidential and on the down low… [then] I was going to waste the whole experience,” she said.
The Charlotte native understands exactly who she is swimming for.
“It’s about all the people who don’t have the remission that I currently have,” she explained.
Each dollar raised will support Swim Across America, a nonprofit that funds cancer research and clinical trials.
“If I can jump in and challenge myself to do this swim, and something good comes out of it in terms of research, then, in fact, I’ve not wasted my cancer and my experience at all,” she added.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
