The Marilyn Jetty Swim is a much-loved fundraising event, traditionally held at Adelaide’s Brighton Jetty and sees hundreds of South Australians jump in the water dressed as ‘50s icon Marilyn Monroe, complete with blonde wigs and white swimsuits, to raise funds for Cancer Council SA.
Over the last 13 years, the event has raised over $1.6 million for South Australians impacted by cancer.
This year, for the first time, the fundraiser is coming to the Riverland with Berri local Carina Nicholson leading the charge to bring the Marilyn Jetty Swim to the community.
Carina said that living with cancer herself, she is passionate about raising money for Cancer Council SA.
“I’ve been involved in other local events like Relay For Life, and the Marilyn Jetty Swim seemed like such a fun way to encourage more people to come together to raise funds and awareness,” Carina said.
“The event in Brighton looks like so much fun and it supports Cancer Council SA at the same time.”
“I hope that by bringing it to the Riverland, we can create a network of support and connection for those in our community who are going through cancer or know someone who is.”
In 2017 Carina discovered a small, hard lump in her breast, and her life took an unexpected turn. After a surgery, two rounds of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiotherapy, Carina and her doctors all thought that was it – she’d beaten it.
But a few years later, she developed a pain in her hip and scans confirmed that her cancer was back and it had spread to her bones.
Carina’s treatment has meant travelling to Adelaide many times over the past eight years and staying at Cancer Council SA's Greenhill Lodge accommodation for weeks at a time.
"There's no way I would have been able to afford six weeks of staying in Adelaide during radiation therapy without Greenhill Lodge,” Carina said.
“By raising funds we are helping to ensure that these services that I've benefited from will continue to be there for other regional people going through cancer, long after I'm gone."
Greenhill Lodge provides 120 rooms of supportive accommodation for regional South Australians who need to travel to the city for cancer treatment.
All funds raised through the Riverland Marilyn Jetty Swim will fund Cancer Council SA’s life-saving prevention programs, research and support services like Greenhill Lodge.
Registrations for the Riverland Marilyn Jetty Swim are free and close at 5pm on Monday 16 March, with costumes available to purchase. Learn more or register for the Riverland Marilyn Jetty Swim at themarilyns.org.
