Jill Yoneda is Swimming 109km for a Cause
byUltramarathon swimmer, and former member of the Canadian Freediving team, Jill Yoneda is once again raising funds for Canuck Place Children’s Hospice by swimming a record-breaking 109km across the Georgia Strait in the Salish Sea on August 9th.
Jill Yoneda is Swimming 109km for a Cause
In 2018 Jill swam 76km across the Georgia Strait (and back), raising over $16,000 for Canuck Place care. She now has her sights set on a new adventure on a route that has never before been attempted.
“I am 50 years old, so I thought I would double my age and swim at least 100km,” Jill told Canuck Place. Her course will start in Brentwood Bay, head through Sansum Narrows and Porlier Pass before ending at Jericho Beach in Vancouver, taking an estimated 60+ hours of swimming.
Jill has been through over 22 surgeries, she has been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, compartment syndrome, popliteal artery entrapment syndrome, and most recently, slipping rib syndrome—a condition that has meant her ribs pop out of place during long swims. She also suffered an accident that left her without the full use of her left leg.
Despite all of these physical setbacks, she continues to live life to the fullest and has chosen to raise funds for Canuck Place to inspire courage in Canuck Place children with life-threatening illnesses and the families who love them.
She will be completing this swim in memory of her beautiful cousin Joshua Yoneda. Joshua was in his last year of Med school at UBC when he was suddenly diagnosed with DIPG cancer (sadly a rare brain tumour). He only survived 10 months after this diagnosis. Joshua was a big advocate of Jill’s swims for Canuck Place and she will keep his memory close during this adventure.
About Canuck Place
Canuck Place operates 13 patient beds and 8 family suites through two hospices in Vancouver and Abbotsford. Services include in-hospice medical respite and family support, pain and symptom management, provincial 24-Hour Clinical Care Line, music and recreation therapy, education and art, grief, loss, and bereavement counselling, as well as end-of-life care.
For close to three decades, Canuck Place has been providing exceptional complex medical care, while helping children and families embrace living fully with the time they have left together. But not without donor support. That’s where you can make a difference.
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