We Are Ocean founder Jack Shimko remembered for giving those with cancer connection with the water, others ...Middle East

It was in the ocean that Jack Shimko was most at peace.

The sea was where he embarked on long paddles following his Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis in 2009, intent on helping to raise funds for cancer research. The salt water is where he knew others could find solace during their own cancer battles by getting outdoors to connect with nature as a means of therapy while facing an uncertain future.

Shimko, a well-known fixture in the Newport Beach paddling community who founded the nonprofit We Are Ocean, died on Feb. 7. He was 45.

Shimko, in a 2011 interview, recalled how he had been a fan of the ocean since he was a baby; the only thing taking him out of the water, at least for a short time, was cancer.

“When I came to grips with that and got healthy again, I just knew I needed to be in the water somehow, doing something with a purpose,” he had said. “For me, the ocean is definitely healing. It makes me feel better, less stressed. It gives me time to think things through and lets me reset.”

Shimko was diagnosed in 2009; it was then, while undergoing chemo and radiation, that he decided to go on a 150-mile fundraiser paddle to benefit cancer research.

The following year, he went even bigger with a 250-mile fundraiser paddle, landing on the sand in Newport Beach with a crowd of supporters greeting him on the shoreline.

That paddle visited each of the Channel Islands.

“It’s a lot less about paddling. It’s more about finding something to make some sort of difference in the fight against cancer,” Shimko said at the time, tears welling in his eyes as he reflected on his 10-day journey at sea. “Whatever we’re doing is a small, little tiny bit, but hopefully people will be inspired to do their part. We’re still so far away from a cure from cancer.”

In 2013, Shimko founded We Are Ocean to help cancer patients discover the healing powers of the ocean. By  2019, it formally joined forces with the Newport Aquatic Center.

His vision was rooted in hope, healing and the belief that young adult cancer fighters deserve moments of freedom, strength and joy, said Kelly Schwartz, the center’s operations manager. “Our programs at the beginning were focused on young adults, but over the past couple years, we found there was a need for fighters and survivors of all ages.”

One-day adventures are held once a month, everything from paddles in the bay to yoga to lei making, a chance to bring people together, to slow down and have shared experiences on and off the water, she said.

“It gives them an easy way, a safe place to get on the water, stay active, get outside and find a supportive community they may not have found otherwise,” she added.

Once a year, a multi-day sailing and camping trip on Catalina Island is organized, an excursion that is part adventure, part therapy for the cancer survivors and fighters.

In addition to the monthly gatherings at the Newport Aquatic Center and longer camping trips, Shimko also started getting teams together for the Wild Buffalo Races, a six-man outrigger relay race that goes 26 miles from Catalina to Newport Beach.

Shimko was a humble man who would never brag about himself or his achievements, always opting to look forward rather than to the past, said his mother, Sally Marshall.

“He had a passion to help cancer patients and survivors,” she said. “He wanted to help cancer patients during and after treatments to get out and enjoy adventure. He could get people out of the chemo ward and into the outdoors, into nature.”

When Shimko was first diagnosed, doctors gave him only five years to live, his mother said. While a cause of death has yet to be determined, experimental cancer treatment damaged his liver and he grappled with health issues in the following years.

“We were lucky to have him as long as we did,”  Marshall said.

He was an inspiration to many, always upbeat and never focusing on his own struggles, Marshall said. He was fiercely loved by his family, the community, and he had a great love for his daughter, Marley, 13, Marshall added.

“He didn’t want to put his cancer journey on other people, he wanted people to know he was there for them,” she said. “He was always inspiring people and helping to push them forward. He just lifted everyone up, and a lot of times wasn’t feeling great.”

Shimko documented the excursions through videos, from his own solo paddles to the group trips to Catalina. His efforts were showcased in the 2015 documentary, “Between Two Harbors,” created by Laguna filmmaker Richard Yelland.

Shimko’s role most recently was focused on We Are Ocean’s annual gala, coming up in April, to help raise funds for the programming, which is free for participants.

We Are Ocean will continue in his honor to help others, a legacy that will live on, Schwartz said.

“He never stopped, he never gave up,” she said. “He was all about creating community and building a safe place for people, no matter where they were on their cancer journey.”

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