Editor’s note: Ann Yates and her daughter, Mattie, of Columbus swam in Lake Michigan recently as part of the Chicago Swim Across America, an event that raises money for cancer research. Below, Ann Yates shares some of the highlights of the swim.

With the help of donations from friends and family, Mattie and I raised $810 for the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center at Loyola University Medical Center&bsp; in Chicago through our swim with the Chicago Swim Across America.

Saturday morning dawned early for us we were up at 5 a.m. We headed downtown to Ohio St. beach just north of Navy Pier in Chicago.

We were early to arrive so we headed down to the water to check out the temp. Let’s just say yikes! It was cold. We heard later that the wind had switched the evening before and the lake temp had plunged 8-10 degrees overnight to a balmy 66 degrees. Oh, boy.

Good thing the sun was shining beautifully and hot that day.

We wrote the names of the two people we know in the cancer fight at the moment on us Rebecca Davis and Joseph Ryan to help us remember why we were swimming and to give us the extra help we needed to swim.

The three milers took off at 8 a.m., us waving and cheering and so glad it was not us! These swimmers are amazing and mostly covered in wetsuits. Hmmm good idea.

Next to go were the 1.5 milers also amazing and covered. The enthusiastic send off was fun.

Then it was Mattie’s turn to swim. She geared up, posed for her group picture and worked her way out in the water with a big smile on her face.

At this point I was beginning to wonder what I had signed up for, but I suited up, posed for a picture and headed out.

Let me say that when 66 degree water hits your chest something funny happens to your lungs….they don’t like to work! It took me almost to the halfway point to get a rhythm of breathing because the cold took my breath away.

I thought maybe I wasn’t going to be able to swim this far in this cold. I was afraid I was going to have to stop and get out because my arms felt like lead and my lungs hurt and nothing was moving smoothly. It seemed like I was mostly flailing instead of swimming. I was glad it was so shallow in places because I stood up twice to warm up for a second so I could breathe.

Then I remembered why I was there and who I was there for. My mantra became Rebecca, Joe, Rebecca, Joe with each stroke. I was not going to wimp out. Rebecca and Joe had no choice but to keep going and neither did I. I just was going to keep swimming until I walked out of that lake.

So, I did.

At the halfway point I was struggling less and finding a rhythm. I was warming up. I finally finished, tired but not over tired. A wetsuit may have made it easier. I’ll remember that.

Mattie and I had our caps signed by three former Olympic swimmers who also swam.

The stories of the swimmers and families attending were inspiring.

Overall, organizers said the day raised $130,000 for the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago.

It was quite an experience.