From Heartbreak to Hope: Team Gina Makes Waves to Fight Cancer at 33rd Annual Swim Across America

Almost a year-and-a-half after sadly losing Gina Mannix Wente to breast cancer, who was just 32-years-old and a beloved wife, mother, daughter and sister, more than 50 of her relatives and friends are suiting up again to make a big splash with “Team Gina” at the 33rd annual Swim Across America - Long Island Sound open water swim on Saturday, July 26, held on the shores of Long Island Sound in Larchmont, New York. The team has hit the ground running and is already one of the top fundraising teams, raising $55,958 to date for the July charity swim. For Team Gina, diving back into the water isn’t just a tribute – it’s a way to keep Gina’s competitive spirit and generosity alive – all while fueling cancer research that could help others battle this terrible disease.

The 33rd annual Swim Across America – Long Island Sound takes place Saturday, July 26, 2025, starting off the Larchmont Yacht Club and finishing at the Larchmont Shore Club. Swimmers of all abilities can choose a 2K, 5K or 10K open-water course, a same-day ½-mile pool swim, or participate virtually with SAA My Way. Swim Across America - Long Island Sound also offers a series of eight June-to-August Westchester pool swims at area clubs . Proceeds benefit Swim Across America’s local beneficiaries: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, Cancer Support Team and Weill Cornell Medicine. Registration, volunteer sign-ups and donations are open at swimacrossamerica.org/longislandsound.
Gina grew up swimming at the Larchmont Shore Club, captained undefeated squads at Ursuline and the College of the Holy Cross, and later coached for the New York Athletic Club. She balanced that passion with a finance career that took her to GE Capital and Ferrara Candy. In 2021 she married Dave Wente. Their daughter arrived in 2022, and their son was delivered early at just 29 weeks on February 1, 2024, weeks after Gina’s sudden cancer diagnosis. Gina sadly passed away on February 26, 2024, just 3-1/2 weeks after welcoming her son.
“Last summer’s swim, was as you can imagine, raw and emotional for all of us after losing Gina so suddenly,” noted Gina’s mother, Mary Mannix. “However, being all together at the Swim and doing something that Gina loved was also very healing. We are coming back this year stronger and more energized than ever before. Every dollar we raise honors her love of the sport of swimming and helps fund the breakthroughs that can possibly help save other lives.”
“Cancer knows no boundaries,” noted Jean Fufidio, event director for Swim Across America - Long Island Sound. “It impacts adults, young adults and children. Diagnoses of young adults globally have risen by 79%. But here’s how Swim Across America Long Island Sound is making a positive impact. A recent Time Magazine story, ‘The Race to Explain Why More Young Adults are Getting Cancer’ mentioned the ground-breaking, rectal clinical trials done by one of our very own fellow doctors, with a 100% response rate. A subsequent trial that was expanded to other gastrointestinal MMRd type cancers and published in The New England Journal of Medicine in April showed an astounding 80% success rate with immunotherapy alone - no surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. That is making an impact.”
Now in its 33rd year, Swim Across America - Long Island Sound has contributed nearly $30 million towards cancer research, resulting in FDA approved immunotherapy treatments of Keytruda, Opdivo and Yervoy. What’s more is the money raised locally stays local, providing cancer care and research grants to The Cancer Support Team, a Westchester-based home care program offering free services to patients and their families; to New York Presbyterian Children’s Hospital Pediatric Oncology Lab; to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Research Laboratories of Dr. Diaz and Dr. Kung Kids Department of Pediatrics; and to Weill Cornell Medicine Research Laboratory of Dr. Wolchok and Dr. Merghoub.
Nationally, Swim Across America has generated more than $100 million for cancer research since its founding 1987, supporting more than 60 research projects each year in 25 markets. The Long Island Sound swim is the organization’s largest event and highest fundraiser.
Please support the hundreds of swimmers and volunteers who will be making waves on Saturday, July 26, at the Swim Across America - Long Island Sound open water swim + eight pool swims from June through August that will help Swim Across America - Long Island Sound reach its 2025 $2 million goal to allocate even more dollars towards grants that are working towards a cure.
To learn more about Swim Across America - Long Island Sound or to register to swim, volunteer or donate, visit swimacrossamerica.org/longislandsound. For those who would like to support Team Gina or any of the other swimmers at the July 26 Swim Across America - Long Island Sound open water event, or the eight pool swims this summer, donations can be made at swimacrossamerica.org/longislandsound.