Sydney Michelin will be on a boat as a volunteer medic during the Bahamas-to-Lake Worth Beach Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis this month. She enjoys paddleboarding herself, here at Rutherford Park in Boca Raton. Michelin lost two cousins to cystic fibrosis when she was young. ’The challenges that they faced drove me to stay in the fight against CF,’ she says. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Kathleen Kernicky
After moving back to South Florida three years ago, Sydney Michelin was looking for a nonprofit where she could help others, advocate for a meaningful cause and volunteer her skills as a registered nurse.
Michelin, 30, who lives in Boca Raton, found a perfect fit as a volunteer at the ninth annual Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis this month. Participants on paddleboards and surf skis, or in kayaks, canoes and rowboats, will make an 81-mile ocean crossing from Bimini, Bahamas, to Lake Worth Beach, arriving June 22 after some 12 hours of travel following a midnight departure.
The Crossing benefits CF patients and their families through Piper’s Angels Foundation. The nonprofit was founded by paddler enthusiast Travis Suit after his daughter, Piper, 17, was diagnosed with CF at age 4.
An avid paddleboarder, Michelin will be assigned to a boat that provides medical support to paddlers and their accompanying boaters throughout the journey. It is her second trip as a Crossing volunteer.
“Obviously, it’s an intense physical and mental journey,” she said. “You’re watching for dehydration, exhaustion, injuries. Some of the paddlers have CF, so it’s also a way of being aware of their feelings and making sure you’re communicating with them.
“It can be an emotionally exhausting experience. You’re there to be a calm, steady presence.”
Michelin has a personal connection to cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that primarily attacks the lungs and digestive system. Two cousins died of CF when she was young. “The challenges that they faced drove me to stay in the fight against CF,” Michelin said.
Volunteering at the ocean-crossing event and its annual gala at the Kravis Center is a way to “honor my cousins’ memory and support others living with the condition.”
A nurse for the past six years, Michelin works as an IVF coordinator at CCRM Fertility, a leading fertility treatment center based in Denver.
“I was drawn to fertility nursing because it blends science with compassion and advocacy in a way that is pretty unique. I’ve always been passionate about women’s health. The idea of being able to help someone build a family resonates with me,” Michelin said.
Her work in the medical field dovetails with her support of the CF community. As a fertility nurse she guides patients through the process of genetic testing, which includes screening for CF and other genetic mutations.
“It made me more aware of the role genetics can play in our life,” she said. “It pushed me to look at my own genetics, given I have CF in my family. It deepened my empathy for the patients and the families.”
Michelin grew up in South Florida, graduating from St. Andrew’s School in Boca Raton before earning a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina. She played soccer in high school and during college.
“That shaped my love for teamwork and staying active,” said Michelin, who enjoys running and paddleboarding. “It’s my way of staying grounded and balanced outside of work.”
Volunteering offers a sense of purpose and connection.
“The Piper’s Angels Foundation came into my life for a reason that’s both a work purpose and personal,” she said. “You never know what people are fighting through. There are people out there who are paddling 81 miles in the ocean and fighting CF while they’re doing it. I look at myself in the mirror and think if they can do it, I can do it.
“I feel honored to be able to support people who are pushing themselves for such a meaningful cause. I am proud to contribute however I can.”
For more information on the Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis, visit crossingforcysticfibrosis.com.
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