"Badge Of Honor" - Natalie Thompson Swims For Her Wife, Late Father

There have been countless island beneficiaries of the $5.5 million raised by Swim Across America Nantucket since 2013, but someone who knows firsthand how important the fundraiser is to the island community is Natalie Thompson, a school teacher whose wife was diagnosed with ocular melanoma in 2019. Her father was diagnosed with stage 4 renal cancer one year later in 2020.

“My wife and I will say it is the best event on Nantucket," Thompson said. "It's one of those events that you go to and you're like, here's the proof. I'm standing next to the person that has been able to do everything here. I've Angel swam with people telling me stories of like, 'I'm doing this for my wife. I can barely swim. How am I going to make it through this?' and I am like, 'We're doing the tough thing here so that she can rock what she's doing there. It's cool because you always get these stories and then you realize how impactful what we're doing is."

Natalie’s wife, Cassie, continues to get treatment at the Mass Eye & Ear because of the rarity of her cancer. She is a member of the Nantucket Police Department and is the resource officer for Nantucket Public Schools. Natalie Thompson said the funds raised from SAA help with travel expenses, thanks to Palliative and Supportive Care of Nantucket (PASCON), and she knows that one day, as funds continue to be raised, the scope of cancer treatments and care will only broaden, which could lead to more care being available on the island.

Cassie Thompson’s cancer diagnosis came while their two boys – Tobin and Gus – were both under the age of four. Thompson had been participating in SAA since 2012, but her involvement ramped up following her wife’s diagnosis.

"I had a grandmother that had passed away from cancer, so it was just one of those things where I had dealt with it and it had impacted me, but it wasn't actively in my life," Thompson said. "So I'd done some swims. Then, in 2019, when Cassie got diagnosed with ocular melanoma, that was the first year that I did the big jump to the four-mile swim (with Cassie as her spotter in a kayak) because I was like, 'Wow, now this has hit my family hard.’ At that point in 2019, the boys were super young boys, so I'm like, 'This is the rest of our lives here.' So I hopped into that, and that just kind of became the regular.”

Thompson’s father, Gary Hamblin, passed away in June of 2024. A Nantucket native, Hamblin had a lengthy battle with cancer but was able to receive treatment on the island for four years thanks to the work of Swim Across America – Nantucket and all of the people who have helped raise money over the years. Thompson said when they learned about her father’s diagnosis, the first text she sent was to SAAN co-directors Jill Roethke and Jim Pignato.

“In 2020 basically right before COVID shut down the world, my dad got diagnosed with stage four renal cancer and I remember sitting in my parents living room and Jill and Jim were the first people I text," Thompson said. "I said I need whatever connections that I could pull from Swim Across America right now. I need my Dad to get to Boston and get some tests done. I knew I had that support. The night that we found out Cassie had cancer, ironically enough, we were going to a Swim Across America event. We hadn't said anything to family yet because we still had to go up, and we wanted to be able to talk to the oncologist and all that first. But I remember walking into that event, and I think Cassie would say the same thing too, I knew we were going to be okay. We had the infusion center here that was opening. I knew at that time, with all of these people here and everything we're doing, that my family has got what we need.”

Thompson said that because her father was able to receive treatment on-island, not only was he able to remain in the place he had always called home and dedicated his life to serving as a firefighter, but also was able to spend more time with his grandkids and his entire family.

"My dad basically did all of his treatment here," Thompson said. "My kids got to spend all this extra time with him. Time is something that we can't get back. My dad would sometimes have appointments where maybe would go in for a bag of fluid, maybe it was a treatment, but he could still pick the boys up from like, preschool or from school.

"Being able to have that extra time with my Dad was so important for everybody," Thompson continued. "It was for my dad, obviously, but my entire family. Quite honestly, being able to do everything here, I'd like to think that that bought him some extra time. You didn't have the hassle of having to travel off-island. If it's a nine o'clock appointment in Boston, well that means I got to go the night before, and all of this extra travel. He was able to have treatment and then be in his nice, comfy bed at home around everybody and everything that was his norm.”

Swim Across America arrived on island back in 2013 thanks to Roethke and Pignato, who continue to co-direct the event. SAA Nantucket continues to play a significant role in cancer research, as well as the ability to provide treatment to cancer patients at Nantucket Cottage Hospital who live on island. The money raised is specifically donated to Nantucket Cottage Hospital, Palliative & Supportive Care of Nantucket, and the Mass General Hospital Cancer Center. In 2023, the event raised $730,000. In 2024, that number rose to $825,000.

"It's like a badge of honor wearing the Swim Across America gear," Thompson said. "We're our own club here. You know that person is in support of you and whatever you need. I mean so often it was like, 'Okay Jill and Jim, I need help here.' There was never that hesitation and that wasn't just because I knew him from swimming (when Thompson was an assistant coach and Pignato was the varsity head coach). We're unique here, and that's the cool thing because you truly do see the impact that we have."

You can support Thompson’s fundraiser here and you can make a donation to Swim Across America – Nantucket here. The fundraiser this year is on Saturday, July 26th at 8:15 a.m.

You can learn more about each of the programs receiving money below. The information is courtesy of Swim Across America - Nantucket’s official website.

Nantucket Cottage Hospital Program Details:

“This program allows island cancer patients to receive oncology services at Nantucket Cottage Hospital (NCH) rather than the mainland, saving them from burdensome and expensive travel while suffering from cancer. With the collaboration between the Mass General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center and NCH's oncology department, patients are able to receive an academic level of care in a rural community hospital.

“The MGH link also brings access to breakthrough and state of the art technologies, drug therapies and clinical trials that would not be available to a rural community hospital. The program brings a team of cancer specialists to the island every week for patient consultations. In addition, a Board-Certified Advanced Practice Oncology Registered Nurse is on-site to see cancer patients five days a week. Services, including chemotherapy, are performed at the Swim Across America Infusion Center at NCH.”

Palliative and Supportive Care of Nantucket Program Details:

“This program provides direct care and services to patients and families who are coping with cancer. Care is provided through a Nurse Practitioner, a part time RN-Nurse Specialist, a Palliative Care Counselor, Social Workers, Program Assistant, Chaplain, Medical Director, and volunteers and is provided in any setting. Cancer support groups are also conducted twice/month. Services are provided free of charge and are fully supported through donations and grants. PASCON staff works directly with the NCH oncology staff to ensure the needs of all patients are being met.”

Mass General Cancer Center Program Details:

“Proceeds from SAA-Nantucket will support the research of Dr. Bryan Choi, MD, PhD., who specializes in surgical care for patients with benign and malignant brain tumors. He also leads a research laboratory with the goal of developing the next generation of cell therapies and clinical trials in neuro-oncology. Learn about Dr. Choi's research on our blog.”