Dave Shapiro swam nine miles across South Lake Tahoe starting before dawn on Thursday, July 30, raising $33,000 for Parkinson's disease research and surpassing the $25,000 his inaugural swim brought in last year.

The 68-year-old San Rafael resident set off around 2 a.m. from the Cave Rock boat ramp, headed for Camp Richardson on the south shore. The crossing, expected to take roughly seven hours, is the centerpiece of Swim for Him, a fundraiser Shapiro created to honor his late father Marvin, who died of Parkinson's about 30 years ago.

"He had Parkinson's for as long as I can remember," Shapiro told the Marin Independent Journal before the swim. "When I was 8 years old or so, he was already shaking really violently."

Shapiro said realizing he had reached the same age his father was at death crystallized the mission. A friend he met through the Marin Country Club in Novato, Justin Vedder, was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's at 37 and already fundraised for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. That connection turned an informal lake swim into a formal charity event.

All proceeds go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the world's largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research, which has directed more than $3 billion toward finding a cure. An estimated 1.2 million Americans live with Parkinson's and related conditions.

Childhood friend Tadd Perkins guided Shapiro through the water. Perkins' own father, Bill, a jazz musician, also had Parkinson's. The Restoring the Lakes Depths Foundation provided the pace boat, with founder Lindsay Kopf and director of programs Ryan Incerpi also serving as guides.

Shapiro's path to open-water swimming started with a softball knee injury decades ago. A doctor told him surgery was one option; a year of swimming was the other. He chose the pool at the Bay Club in San Francisco, where a sales rep named Deanna caught his attention. They've been married 38 years.

The former KFOG radio staffer completed last year's inaugural crossing despite a pulled muscle and choppy conditions. This year he added professional boat support and more training.

Lauren Williamson, who works on the Michael J. Fox Foundation's community fundraising team, said before the swim that Shapiro's willingness to push himself physically for the cause has resonated with donors. Shapiro said he hopes other swim groups will organize similar events for the foundation.

Donations to Swim for Him remain open at bit.ly/4fW1pou.