The Connection

When Engie Mokhtar of Kingstowne woke up from a blackout on the floor of her kitchen, she didn’t think much of it. She cleaned up, went to bed, and went to swimming practice with the Alexandria Masters team the next morning.

After describing the incident to teammates, one of them said it sounds like Mokhtar might’ve had a seizure. She went to the doctor that afternoon, who got her right into an MRI.

In 2010, Mokhtar was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. She went through all the treatments over the next two years — surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and reconstruction.

That cancer had metasticized to her brain, doctors told Mokhtar. The seizure was related to the three-centimeter mass that had formed in that organ.

Within two weeks, Mokhtar had brain surgery. Her treatment included “cyber knife,” oral chemo pills and infusion chemotherapy. After five months she was able to stop the harsh oral pills, but she has continued to go in for infusion treatments every Friday.

The last thing she wanted to do before her surgery? Attend 6 a.m. swim practice.

“Swimming became such a huge part of my life,” Mokhtar said. She grew up swimming, must mostly for recreation, choosing to focus more time on dance and music.

But the medicine she was on for her first cancer treatment caused permanent nerve damage and degeneration in her feet. That made it painful for her to walk long distances, much less dance.

To get back in shape during her treatment, Mokhtar returned to swimming.

More than just a cardiovascular workout, she found a close-knit community.

“The swim team was my rock,” Mokhtar said. “They truly are my second family.”

While she couldn’t drive, teammates would help get her to practice, to work, walk her dog, bring her meals — “do whatever else I needed.”

“When we first heard she had cancer, we asked ‘How can we help her?’” said Potomac Yard resident and Alexandria Masters swimmer Cindy Halim. “It’s what we do.”

One of the swimmers had the idea to hold a swim-a-thon to raise money to help cover Mokhtar’s medical expenses. But she declined the offer.

“What she really want is for the money to go to figuring out why people get cancer,” said Madeline Muravchik of the City of Alexandria. “Lots of charities focus on treatment, she would rather focus on why this happens to people.”

Muravchik is the membership coordinator for the swim team, and helped organize last year’s Swim for Engie Against Breast Cancer Swimathon fundraiser. The 34 participants swam laps for nearly two hours and raised just under $6,000.

Per Mokhtar’s request, the money supported the breast cancer research fund with the Inova Schar Cancer Institute.

“The type of cancer I had was a death sentence 10 years ago,” said Mokhtar. “They’d say, ‘OK, the end.’”

But now, she said, genomics research has helped medicine to target genetic markers, reasons for the cancer attacking.

Currently, Mokhtar is experiencing no progression of the cancer; she gets a “full workup of scans” every three months.

To keep herself busy and fulfilled, she’s taken on an active role in the Alexandria West Rotary club, which is co-sponsoring this year’s swim-a-thon.

“It’s really kept my attitude up, to continue doing the things I love to do,” Mokhtar said. “Take those moments when I can. Prioritize what gives me joy. We don’t always get that, we get bogged down paying the bills, making ends meet.”

And she’s continued to swim with her teammates, her family at Alexandria Masters.

“You picture someone who shows physical signs of being physically desperately ill,” Muravchik said, “which Engie does not. She has this double life. She’s battling, is still able to function in the world.”

“She sees how you can make the most of our your life,” Halim said. “Swimming really makes her happy, and we’re glad we can provide her with this environment. So she feels like she’s home, and really lift her up.”

The second Swim for Engie event is scheduled for August 27, 2016 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Little Hunting Park Pool, located at 7000 Canterbury Lane in Alexandria, 22307. The event is open to the members of the public of all ages who can swim laps.

For more info about this year's event, sign up or to donate, visit www.crowdrise.com/SwimforEngie2016 or contact Madeline Muravchik at swimforengie@gmail.com.