USH X Swim Alcatraz 2026 fundraiser
Meredith Tyree
Meet MEREDITH TYREE, who will swim from alcatraz to shore this October for our USH x Swim alcatraz fundraiser. All proceeds from this event go directly towards research for all types of Usher syndrome.
My name is Meredith Tyree, and I am honored to be one of the swimmers participating in the USH X Swim Alcatraz this October in San Francisco.
I was diagnosed with severe hearing loss at the age of six and became legally blind at fifteen due to Usher syndrome Type 2A—a rare genetic condition that causes both hearing and progressive vision loss. When I was sixteen, I was told I would likely be completely blind by the age of fifty.
Today, at 61 years old, I still have enough vision to continue doing what I love, and I choose every day to focus on possibility instead of limitations.
For more than 30 years, I have been actively involved with the Usher Syndrome Society and the Foundation Fighting Blindness, advocating for research, education, and hope for families living with inherited retinal diseases. Throughout my life, I have believed that a diagnosis should never define what someone is capable of accomplishing.
Swimming has always been part of my life. I was a lifeguard in high school, taught water fitness for over two decades at the YMCA, and continue to find peace and freedom in the water. Recently, I completed a 60-lap swim, and now I’m training for one of the most meaningful swims of my life—the historic crossing from Alcatraz.
This swim is much bigger than a personal challenge. I am swimming for every child, every adult, and every family whose lives have been touched by Usher syndrome. I am swimming for those who are waiting for treatments, for those who have lost hope, and for future generations who deserve a world where blindness and deafness no longer steal dreams.
The incredible progress in research gives me hope. Scientists are closer than ever to developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases, and every dollar raised helps move that research forward.
If my journey has inspired you, I would be honored if you would support my fundraising efforts. Your donation directly supports the Usher Syndrome Society’s mission to fund research, provide education, connect families, and accelerate the search for treatments and ultimately a cure.
Thank you for believing in this mission, for believing in hope, and for cheering me on as I take the plunge from Alcatraz.
Together, we are proving that vision loss does not mean losing sight of our dreams.