Jeannie Zappe — motivational speaker, marathon swimmer, swim coach, and founder of Eternal Optimist — has spent much of her life proving that courage does not expire with age.

She first swam the English Channel at age 55 in 2021. Now, at 60, she will return. With her two beloved crew members, Deb and Susan, who have expertly supported her on so many swims. And this time she has a different mission.

Jeannie is preparing for perhaps the most meaningful swim of her life: a 21-mile crossing of the English Channel in July 2026 to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s Disease after her husband Chris, an academic administrator and professor, was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s in 2024. This tragic diagnosis deeply affected the entire Zappe family, including their sons Matt and Jack. Perhaps like many other families, they were shocked to learn that there is no real treatment. None. Further, she wants others to have a better understanding about Alzheimer’s being so much more than a loss of memory. It very slowly takes the whole person you knew — his/her personality, executive function, critical thinking, decision making, temperament, reasoning, and both short- and long-term memory. Swimming the English Channel, in fact, is 1000x easier than any single day for someone fighting dementia and their families who care for them.

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