I just wanted to send you a note to thank you so much for the Can Too program. I'm training in the North swim group and have loved meeting these beautiful people and building my confidence in the open water. My mum is battling secondary cancers, including a couple of tumours in her brain.  She took a bit of a turn on the weekend which was really tough, but I kept thinking about being a part of this program and felt really empowered that I'd made a difference. While it probably won't help mum, it helps me to feel like I've done something positive.  This group is so empowering and supportive, and having found that at this time has been invaluable. So thank you!
Phoebe x

What a great day and achievement for us all. You're an inspiration. I was reminded of the other side of Can Too straight after the race running into a good friend who has multiple brain tumours, been under the knife with Charlie Teo twice but sadly is now wheel chair bound and deteriorating at an alarming rate. I’ve signed up for the ½ marathon!
Tim

It was an honour to partake yesterday with the CanToo Programme! The sense of achievement and pride for all of us was immense. Your work is incredible. You're a true angel! 
Louise

Thank you Annie for giving us all the opportunity to be a part of this incredible Can Too you have created.
Elaine

Dear Annie,  

Thank you for the email of congratulations to all today. What a wonderful experience it has been yet again. I recall emailing you to thank you after it all ended last year. This, my 2nd year of the swim programme, has been an even bigger high which my lovely friends sponsoring me again for nearly $2500 this time around, in memory of my beautiful sister-in-law Anna who died of breast cancer at 29. I told you about her last year. (the one who called leukaemia a 'piece of piss'). And as we know Anna is just one. We were met yesterday by our beautiful friend Tony Lucas, sitting in a wheelchair, cheering his family and all of us on. He has terminal brain cancer. 4 children aged 13-19 who need him. We celebrated his 50th last month. He won't see a 51st. Put what I thought was A BLOODY LONG SWIM into perspective.

Below was my letter to all my friends after the big swim. You don't need to read it . Too many like me. But I introduced my 6 year old Alice to you last week after the Big Swim. S he asked me who that lady was. I told her she was a lady I wanted her to rememeber. She is a woman who proves that, as a little girl, you can grow into someone who can do just anything you put her mind to. 'That lady' has shown me that anything is possible. What you have achieved is truly extraordinary Annie. I hail you for it and hope my Alice can in some way grow up to follow your example. 

My husband Tim is signed up for the half marathon, thanks to Can Too he overcame his phobia and swam his first ever 1 km yesterday.
Bridget x

So I DID IT - The Big ONE – The Macquarie Big Swim, Palm Beach to Whale Beach, 2.7km on Sunday…..43mins and 40sec was my time – that is a 6min improvement on last year! I am VERY pleased and really enjoyed the swim again. I have to say a big congratulations to Ian, Fran, Rina and Brad by CanToo South training buddies on their efforts on Sunday also at Palm Beach. As well as thanks to my coach Ros and mentor Lorraine for supporting us on Sunday. Also big hugs goes to my personal support crew – Mummy, Daddy, Joshy, Carla, Ally and Liam. Special mention to Chris and Matt whom I roped into the swim at the last minute (while I did beat them in time on Sunday and I think they may be secretly a little upset) – it was great to share my love of ocean swimming with you both.   

As I rounded the corner at Whale Beach and felt the sea lice bitting me!!! I kept swimming and thought of Grandpa. What would he think in this situation, I thought about the 6 yrs he spent in the war (as opposed to the 43:40 of pain I experienced for “fun”) and also how much he would have enjoyed coming up to Palm Beach to watch and take photos and enjoy a day in beautiful Sydney.  As I always say the is reason I do this and the reason that it means so much to me to raise money for cancer through CanToo – is one day soon a cure will be found and its great to think me and my family and friends got to be a part of that.  My CanToo journey in 2011/12 is almost over – this weekend we have the Cole Classic at Manly – 2km swim. Again I am very much looking forward to it as I have not done this swim before and I look forward to sharing the amazing feeling of achievement with my fellow CanToo South buddies as they achieve a goal that many of them never thought possible – an ocean swim. 
Sarah

Just wanted to personally thank you for all your effort over the last couple of months.   I’ve really enjoyed the CanToo experience and have achieved my three goals 1) To make it to Whale Beach, 2) in less than an hour, 3) raise $2,500. My next challenge will be parenthood!  Do you have any training modules I can take for that?
Sam

Really just wanted to say how great the Swim program and the whole Can Too experience is and what a great job yourself and the Can Too team do in making everyone step beyond their fears. Both Phil and I are looking forward to the run program and raising more funds for Cure Cancer foundation. David and I particularly wanted to thank you, Col and the coaching staff (and of course my mentor, Mel) for an absolutely fantastic program.  Although there were some challenges for some of us, I couldn't recommend the program more highly. Everyone was very professional, enthusiastic, and supportive and I do understand that 'cantoo blues' feeling!  I sent my pic from the Cole Classic out this morning and have raised another $200. Hopefully we'll see you on the beaches or in the water...

Just a little note to say how much I valued your support and leadership throughout the CanToo programme! Your organisation skills and words of wisdom throughout were wonderful! The CanToo Swim journey was an amazing one for me and one I will never forget - the sense of achievement and pride is overwhelming ! A very hugh thanks to you ! 
Louise

It’s Jessica from South Pod. I just wanted to say thank you for all your support!!! I thought I had done the swim in around 35mins but turns out I finished the 1km in 27 mins 19 secs!!!! When I started the training I couldn’t do 1km, and when I first managed to swim 1km it took me an hour!!! Thank you again for all your support and encouragement, I will definitely be doing it again next year and am hoping to get to under 20 mins next time around! You are an amazing inspiration to all I can’t thank you enough.  I just want to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to you following my successful swim on Sunday. I have always believed that the program would be excellent and that I could trust it to get me through, but it was truly remarkable and has given me such a sense of achievement and excitement about what is possible. You have washed in this incredible energy for 5 years and I have lived a little to one side of it for 2 years (even though the aura extended!) but it is really nice to have experienced it from the inside out, and I hope it will help me to support you and the team more effectively. I am looking forward to my Stingers training which starts next week. Good luck with the run.

I know you don’t like the accolades and see CanToo’s success as a team effort, which of course it is- but please accept the credit you are due, and accept my heartfelt thanks. As promised I just wanted to let you know that I have finished 3 ocean swims. I promised to do 1.   

1.       Avalon 1.5km in unbelievable conditions, rain, 3 metre waves, a sickening swell, 18 degree water temperature (in speedo’s no wet suit) and unbelievable rips

2.       The BIg Swim 2.7km from Palm Beach around to Whale Beach in awesome conditions. Some tough swell around the headland but all in all a great swim- even though I though I had lead weights tied to my legs; and

3.       The Cole Classic from Shelly Beach out almost to Freshwater (well I could see it clearly) and back to Manly Surf Club – supposed to be 2km , but actually measured at 2.4km

Wow- I never thought I would be able to do more than 1km and have never swum in the ocean before attempting this! I had of course swum at the beach but not out around headlands and through pounding dumping waves, swell and certainly not into rips.

You know I used to have a morbid fear of the beach and deep water – pff - Respect is what I have now…… and NO FEAR!

Thanks to my coaches, mentors, family and friends for their support!