Firefighter Set to Swim Lake Chelan to Raise Funds for Seattle Children's Hospital
After friends suffered the loss of their baby, Brandon Kunz decided to do something to help families facing similar situations
The death of a child is so breathtakingly unfair it’s hard to process. Even if dealing with death is a part of your job, like it is for firefighter Brandon Kunz, when your friends and neighbors lose their baby it hits home.
“I’m no stranger to death. And people losing a child – for whatever reason. It’s always heartbreaking,” Kunz said. “And when I found out it was a neighbor of mine that I know. I felt like I wanted to do something as a friend to show them support, somehow, someway. I just didn’t know how to do it.”
About six months ago, his neighbors and friends Joe and Kirsten Parker lost their baby daughter, Jacqueline Grace, after just two days. She had been diagnosed in utero with a condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome and the couple knew their daughter needed surgery as soon as she was born if she had any chance of surviving.
“The condition of her heart would not allow her to live outside of the womb without immediate surgery. Our journey was ever evolving as we continued echocardiograms, blood tests, and ultrasounds for the doctors to see how Jacqueline was growing and determine the best medical course of action,” the Parkers wrote. “We were prepared and willing to go down the proposed path of spending potentially years at Seattle Children’s with multiple open-heart surgeries, recoveries, and ultimately a heart transplant for our little girl. However, other factors arose that took the heart surgeries off the table. We put our faith in the Lord and welcomed Jacqueline Grace into the world for as long as He intended. She lived for two days. In her short life, she knew only love.”
The heartbreaking loss left Kunz asking himself a question.
“What can I do for this family to show community support and love for them?” he said.
Kunz, a father of five himself, is also a certified rescue swimmer. And he had been thinking about attempting an open water swim of Lake Chelan for a while. After some additional thought, the idea of embarking on the arduous solo swim to raise awareness and funds to benefit children and families facing situations similar to Jacqueline and the Parkers’ clicked in his mind.
“The two just came together for me,” Kunz said.
So he enlisted his wife, Ashley Kunz, and a few friends to help pull off the ambitious plan. Together his team of six are handling planning, logistics, nutrition, and safety on what they expect to be a three-day, 50-mile swim in the glacier-fed waters of Lake Chelan.
On Friday morning he’ll start his swim near Stehekin, at the north end of the lake, and hopes to be in Chelan by midday Sunday. He plans to stay in the water the entire time and there will be three buddies in a boat and another in a kayak going along for safety. Two of the men will switch off kayaking alongside him for the duration of the swim. Kunz says he plans to stop and rest and eat in the water as needed.
The public is invited to meet Kunz at the Chelan Riverwalk Park and either swim or paddle with him the last stretch to the Lake Chelan Public Boat Ramp, where they’ll celebrate the completion of the swim and fundraiser.
Kunz’s goal for the fundraiser was to raise $10,000 for the Seattle Children’s “Greatest Needs Fund,” and he was happy to report they just reached that goal in the last few days. However, the need is great and just because the goal was met doesn’t mean people shouldn’t continue to give.
Kunz said the fundraising page will be active through September to give everyone a chance to chip in if they want to.
“This fund isn’t going to necessarily help Jacqueline, but maybe it will help another child that without that money wouldn’t survive,” he said. “That’s what I’m hoping this money does.”
The Parkers say they welcome Kunz’s ambitious swim to honor their daughter and raise money as a gift to heal children.
“It's been incredible to see how Jacqueline’s short, yet meaningful life, has inspired others,” they wrote.
If you would like to read more about Jacqueline’s story, you can read the Caring Bridge page they created to share more.
You can also watch a clip of Kunz’s last open-water swim to prepare for his Lake Chelan swim here. I loaned him a GoPro and he got some footage while swimming in the Columbia River on Sunday, Sept. 10.
And if you’re free on Sunday, Sept. 17, join Kunz in Chelan as he finishes his swim or simply cheer him on from the shore and then congratulate him on a job well done.
Most of all though, please show your support for Kunz’s admirable endeavor by donating to the fundraiser in Jacqueline’s name here.
Beautiful 🩵