The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Taking the ‘plunge’ for breast cancer research
WEST HAVEN >> As the temperature dipped below 40 degrees Saturday morning, it was not enough to stop Phyllis Risley from plunging into Long Island Sound to help raise money for breast cancer research and education.
For the past eight years, Risley has been participating in the city’s Icy Plunge for the Cure, presented by West Haven’s Breast Cancer Awareness Committee.
Risley was just one of the nearly 200 people who participated in the 17th annual Icy Plunge, which was held on the beach behind the Savin Rock Conference Center at 6 Rock St.
But what started out as a dare for Risley, has turned into so much more.
“It started as a dare and that was in 2008 and then my sister, who was very excited that we were doing this, passed away in 2011 from breast cancer,” Risley said. “Now, it is for her.”
While temperatures have been colder in years past, what has not changed is Connecticut residents’ support for the cause.
For the third year, city teens Elyssa Dalaker and Catie Beckwith, both 16, took the plunge in support of family members and friends who have battled breast cancer.
“I have close family friends and family members who have actually lost their lives to breast cancer,” Dalaker said. “It was really important for me to support them and the cause.”
Breast cancer ranks as one of the top cause of cancer deaths in the state. In 2015, approximately 460 Connecticut women lost their battle to breast cancer, according to the Connecticut Breast Health Initiative, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer. The organization provides grants to support education and research in Connecticut.
This year, it is estimated that 255,180 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the United States, according to Breastcancer.org, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing up-todate information about the disease.
For Russell Rumford, Saturday morning’s event was about doing a good deed for a good cause.
Since first participating in the Icy Plunge years ago, Rumford said he has seen the event attract new faces each year. This year, Rumford’s daughter, Violet, 7, was right by his side taking the plunge for the first time in the icy water.
Last year, an estimated 200 people took part in last year’s plunge, which netted about $32,000.
The plunge and the committee’s Walk for a Cure and bake sale fundraisers have raised approximately $780,000 since it began in 2011. Online:
See a photo slideshow at