California High School Student Swims 28.5 Miles Around Manhattan for Cancer Research

A 15-year-old girl from Berkeley, California, completed a 28.5-mile swim around Manhattan in an effort to raise money for cancer research.

Maya Merhige, a high school junior, completed the 20 Bridges Swim in eight hours and 43 minutes, ABC 7 reported. As part of the challenge, she swam underneath 20 bridges and through three rivers — the East River, the Harlem River and the Hudson River.

“Whatever I’m doing in my swimming, or whatever pain I go through in my swims, it’s really nothing compared to the struggle that cancer families go through,” Merhige said. “And that really pushes me to keep going forward.”

Over the course of eight years, she’s raised more than $60,000 with Swim Across America, a non-profit which funds cancer research. For Merhige, the cause is a personal one after losing a close friend. 

15-year-old Maya Merhige participates in the 20 Bridges Swim around the island of Manhattan, taking almost nine hours to complete the swim and raising over $60,000 for cancer research. 💪https://t.co/dpYKpA2U2B

— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 17, 2023

“Sam Hallward, a family friend of mine, passed away from brain cancer (DIPG) in December 2022 at the age of 12,” she told Swim Across America. “He was one of the most outgoing and adventurous kids I knew, and I just know that he would have loved to be in all of the awesome places that I get to go while swimming.”

Merhige is now the third 15-year-old to complete the 20 Bridges Swim.

“I really like the challenge of it. I got to see all of the Manhattan skyline from the water at night, which is something I think not a lot of people can say,” she told GMA. “So I had a really fun time with that and it was beautiful.”

But the greatest reward for Merhige is knowing all of the money she has raised.

“Knowing that the money I’m raising makes a difference really encourages me to keep going,” she said. “And through my fundraising, I hope that we can kind of end cancer.”