Our swim caps were doffed this week to Gerald Devin, a hale and hearty 57-year old Irishman for wading into the Pacific at Catalina island on Thursday in a bid to swim the 20.5 miles channel between Catalina and Rancho Palos Verdes – all in the name of charity.
Gerald, from Greystones, Co. Wicklow, was scheduled to arrive in the around lunchtime Friday (after BW press time) at Smugglers Cove in Rancho Palos Verdes, having left Catalina 11pm the night before.
Gerald is no stranger to this kind of watery endeavor. He completed his first English Channel swim in 2018, before moving onto the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (28.5 miles) the following year.
The Catalina crossing will make Gerald part of an exclusive club of folks who have done the so-called Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. And this jaunty fellow says he considers himself to be the luckiest guy to be out there in the water, in the dark, swimming with the sea life, while raising awareness for the Gavin Glynn Foundation, which helps children fighting childhood cancer in Ireland. Says Gerald: “When I think of what the children and their families are going through, I have the easy hand”.
Gerald, who is married with three children, began training in earnest in late 2021, clocking up 25km or more a week, in the pool or sea depending on the weather. One of his training swims, a 20 km slog from the Kish Light House in Dublin Bay back to Greystones, was a first, having never been done before. His final 8-hour training swim for Catalina involved all of the community in his home town. Gerald and his team set up 2 buoys 500m apart and swam around them for 8 hours and invited anyone from the local community to join in and 82 others did just that, swimming the amounts they felt comfortable and safe doing.
The Gavin Glynn Foundation was set up by John and Jayne Glynn, parents of Gavin Glynn who passed away aged just four in 2014.
During Gavin’s battle with cancer the Glynn family travelled to several different countries for specialist cancer treatment for their youngest son. Through this experience, they learnt exactly what is involved in organising transport, accommodating and most importantly – seeking out the best specialist care available for their son’s cancer. Through experience, they understand the strain that this logistical organisation puts on families who are already dealing with huge anxiety and sadness.
The Gavin Glynn Foundation believes that all children with cancer deserve the best care, wherever in the world that might be. The mission of the Foundation is to assist families with all the logistics and financial aspects of travelling overseas for specialist cancer treatment not available in Ireland. Supporting the parents in accessing and organising that care is what the Foundation does. Keeping the whole family together, during travel for a child’s cancer treatment, is essential for the wellbeing of the patient, as well as the parents and siblings.
To date, with the support of the Foundation’s amazing supporters, The Gavin Glynn Foundation has been able to help 185 families battling childhood cancer from all over Ireland.
The Gavin Glynn Foundation currently relies solely on donations and fundraisers to help any family that may need support in Ireland. Please visit the website to read about some of the families the Foundation have/are helping, visit www.tggf.ie
