Braulio Fonseca was first diagnosed with cancer at the age of 19. After 15 years of being in the clear, he was diagnosed with cancer for the second time. Following radiation and chemotherapy and by the grace of God, he was able to walk away from that hospital bed and has been cancer free ever since.

While he was fighting, he told himself over and over that he would do anything to get out of that hospital bed, and vowed that if he survived, he would do everything in his power to live a meaningful life.

Exercise and movement became his obsession as he could not bring himself to sit for an extended period of time and swimming became his way to let his mind process what had happened and a way for him to try and give back. For several years now he has been attempting to raise awareness and fund to fight cancer and support those who are suffering.

In 2019 Braulio attempted to swim Alcatraz as his first tribute. He collected 100 names of people who had fought cancer and had them written on his body for the swim. That year he was plucked from the bay with hypothermia and did not make the crossing successfully. He realized in that attempt that the Alcatraz crossing wasn’t about finishing; it was about trying and fighting, just as those of the names he was representing. The names on his body give him the drive to fight and the passion to give everything he has.

One year later, he returned to San Francisco with over 400 cancer warrior names on his body as a tribute and raised $6,000 for the cause. He entered the water prepared for anything, and after 40 minutes, found himself standing on the shoreline, triumphant.

He will continue to swim Alcatraz every year for the rest of his life, raising money for someone fighting cancer in the process, because Braulio has decided he would rather die in that water than in a hospital bed, where he swore he would do anything to escape.

Braulio asks for your support and for you to join him on this adventure.

If you know anyone who is fighting cancer, has fought cancer in the past, or has passed away from the fight, he urges you to share their names and their story with him. Each name will remain on his list and will be written on his body for as long as he continues to swim.

This is his tribute to those who suffer and are suffering and his way to honor everyone who has been affected by this horrible affliction. A portion of the donations will be used to get Braulio to San Fransisco for the race and travel expenses; all other proceeds go to directly to someone actively fighting cancer.