More than 10 hours after she jumped into Lake Muskoka at the Muskoka Wharf in Gravenhurst, Jillian Best completed her marathon 30 km swim at Hanna Park in Port Carling.
She started around 6 a.m. on Saturday and finished just before 5 p.m. where she was greeted by friends, family, and curious beachgoers wondering what the commotion was about.
“It’s always so heart-warming to see a crowd at the finish to welcome me,” said Best moments after getting out of the water.
She was joined in the water by organ donor Tim Marshall and Jefferson Hall, who he donated his liver to, as part of a relay team swimming alongside Best. Grey Brett, Gabe Riff, Wendy Chong-Edgell, and Rick Jacobs were part of the journey, too, with the group swapping out every five or so kilometres.
Best, who lives in London, Ont., founded the Move for Life Foundation in 2020, four years after a life-saving liver transplant and 16 years after her mother needed not one, but two, liver transplants. Best said she wanted to do something to show her gratitude to not just her donor, but all organ donors.
Brad Tilson, treasurer for the foundation, says one of the goals of the foundation is to help reduce the wait time for those needing an organ transplant.
According to Ontario Health at any time, on average, 1,400 individuals need a life-saving organ transplant, but they add every three days someone will die while waiting for an organ.
The swim served as a fundraiser for Camp Kivita, which is a camp for young people living with organ transplants that operates at Camp Wenonah in Bracebridge. As of Monday morning, $23,500 has been raised with the campaign set to end on Friday, Aug. 2.
“A heartfelt congratulations and gratitude to Jillian Best and the inspirational relay swim team,” it said in a social media post from Camp Kivita. “Organ donation transforms lives.”
Best explained she had been sick for close to eight years before it was realized she had hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, the disease causes, “abnormal connections … to develop between arteries and veins.” It most commonly affects the nose, lungs, brain, and liver.
Best started swimming more consistently after her transplant and only five years later spent 18 hours swimming 52 km across Lake Ontario and, in the process, became the first organ transplant survivor later swam across Lake Ontario.
“I do hope that I can inspire other transplant recipients,” said Best. “And not just them, but anyone, to get active and to challenge themselves to do something they may think is impossible.”
When she got out of the water, Best groaned, pointing out how sore her arms were but, she was feeling alright.
“After Lake Ontario, I felt like I had been hit by a truck,” remembered Best. “I feel similar now, but maybe not quite to the same extent.”
