Gary Hall Jr., a member of Sanford Children’s International Advisory Board, was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Harris Theater in Chicago, IL, last week. Hall Jr. entered the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Hall Jr. is a 10-time Olympic medalist who, in addition to his role with Sanford’s International Advisory Board, recently became a spokesperson for the Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation’s “Suit Up to Stop Breast Cancer” grassroots water-based challenge.
“Suit Up to Stop Breast Cancer” encourages consumers to create a swimming, water-walking or water aerobics challenge and obtain sponsors for the challenge. Sponsor pledges fund groundbreaking genomic research to unlock each woman’s genetic code that will advance breast cancer treatment and prevention. Participants, donors and supporting organizations have the opportunity to meet Gary Hall Jr., host a personal swim clinic or receive his autographed photo based on the donation levels they attain.
“We congratulate Gary for being a great champion both in and out of the pool,” said Kimberly Earle, president of the Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation. “We’re truly appreciative of his fantastic advocacy for the fight to stop breast cancer.”
Hall Jr. appeared in the Summer Olympics in 1996, 2000 and 2004, winning gold on five occasions. He was the back-to-back 50-meter freestyle champion in 2000 and 2004. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air on Aug. 24 at 6 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.
In his role with the Sanford Children’s International Advisory Board, Hall Jr. assists in expanding Sanford Children’s World Clinics and generates support for the clinical and education outreach activities of the Sanford Children’s Hospital and the Sanford Children’s Health Research Center. Hall Jr., also a type 1 diabetic, has also shown his support for the Sanford Project, Sanford Health’s research initiative to cure the disease.
About the Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation
The Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation is pioneering a bold new comprehensive approach to breast cancer, with a mission to unlock each woman’s genetic code, advance today’s prevention and treatment, and end breast cancer for future generations. Edith Sanford Breast Cancer is pursuing cutting-edge translational genomics research to identify specific treatments that will work best for each person, prevent the disease on an individual basis, and ultimately eradicate breast cancer. To accelerate the research and advances in care, a cornerstone of this ground-breaking organization is our biobank – a shared collection of genetic information from people of all ages, medical histories and backgrounds – that provides researchers easy access to data.
The launch of this movement began with a gift from Denny Sanford, who tragically lost his mother, Edith, to breast cancer when he was just four years old. For more information about the Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation, visit edithsanford.org or call 1-855-GO-EDITH (463-3484).
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Posted In News, World Clinic
