Passion and Purpose

“I was able to transfer traits learned in swimming to something outside of the sport – and do it at the highest level.” - Dr. Jennifer Fratesi

By David Grossman

Comfort, swimming and radiology.

Three bold and audacious words, all with different meaning, but there is a connection.

Listen to Jennifer Fratesi, a former Canadian competitive swimmer, and now a thoracic radiologist working at Toronto’s University Health Network, and you can hear how the traits of the water sport have helped her in the medical world.

Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Fratesi grew up in a home where her father was a vascular surgeon, her mother a public health nurse and her sister pursued a career in dermatology. For Fratesi, she admitted that the health world would be her destiny, too.

Prior to focussing entirely on a future that would see her rise quickly to becoming an expert in chest diagnostics and extensive lung biopsy at the UHN hospitals of Toronto General, Mount Sinai, Princess Margaret and Women's College, there were many years of education and experience.

But before that, Fratesi – who learned to swim at a family cottage on Lake Superior – joined the Sault Ste Marie Aquatic Club. Six years old at the time, she recalled wanting to affiliate with swimming at a much younger age.

“There was enjoyment in swimming back then, it was a passion for me,” recalled Fratesi, an honors student in the classroom and brilliant back then in the water. “There was so much comfort, enjoyment, and an appetite developed for some serious competitive swimming.”

Experimenting early with strokes, she had initially liked the butterfly, but opted for the back stroke – a move that would one day see her earn a spot in the Canadian swim record books.

It was at the ripe age of eight that Fratesi had a huge boost, both mental and physical. In Brantford at a Swim Ontario event, she competed against swimmers two years older than her. A tough go, she still awed the crowd by finishing third, claiming a bronze medal – and it may have been one of her first major awards.

The victory was not only special. It powered an appetite for success.

At the age of 15, Fratesi made the move of relocating to the National swim centre in Waterloo. She would attend high school and swim for the Region of Waterloo Swim Club. There was no time for other extra-curricular sports or activities.

Her comfort was in the pool.

Performance times improved dramatically, and Fratesi would go on to win four medals at the Junior Olympics in Australia. In total, her name would appear on 10 Canadian senior titles before she chose to end her competitive swim career.

Hard work, training, attending meets and having a strong and dedicated commitment to the sport, Fratesi would see her skills continue to develop. Almost a decade later, she would set a Canadian record of two-minutes, 11.16 seconds in the 200-metre race at the 2001 FINA (International Swim Federation) World championship in Japan.

Fratesi had finished fourth in that race, just out of the reach of the medal podium. Not pleased, and knowing that she had trained to be at the top of the podium, her confidence in the water would be tarnished.

Having qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece, Fratesi hit another personal milestone and earned a spot in the semifinals. But she had also missed out on competing for medals, and that was her objective in the final, losing by two hundredths of a second (0.02) behind British swimmer and world champion, Katy Sexton.

It was around her 20th birthday that Fratesi made a difficult decision.

Success was starting to turn to one of disappointment. She was finished with competitive swimming. But Fratesi believed she had much more to achieve in life.

“I didn’t achieve what I had wanted, it was that simple,” said Fratesi, who had also been a member of Canada’s 4 x 100-metre medley relay squad that had finished in sixth place. “I had worked really hard, was tired of not doing personal bests, there were so many mistakes made in swimming. The passion and enjoyment was no longer there and I had enough.”

It was as a student at the University of Waterloo, where she earned an Honors Degree in Health Sciences, Fratesi focussed entirely on her scholastic career. She would move on to attend medical school at the University of Ottawa, then do five years of radiology specialty studies in Halifax and work on chest imaging in Montreal, before an opportunity presented itself to her in Toronto.

“I get so much satisfaction, and challenges, doing what I am doing now,” she said. “I was able to transfer traits learned in swimming to something outside of the sport – and do it at the highest level. I am convinced that no one in the Olympics can say that in the same way or contribution that I can. To me, this means personal success.”

A chest expert and radiologist, Fratesi, make that Dr. Fratesi, has been front and centre doing what she can in the battle against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that is sweeping the world.

Dr. Fratesi has been diagnosing, and monitoring, the course of the virus on CT and x-ray images in patients in Toronto hospitals and published a case study on one of those patients recently in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

“I have learned that there is more to life than sports,” she said. “Swimming was a big stepping stone in that what I have learned from all those years in the pool, I have now transferred in to helping people, and take pride in mentoring young doctor trainees in a world where there is always room for improvement.

“My message to others is to find passion and purpose, after sport in a way that is meaningful.”

In 2016, Dr. Fratesi, in a ceremony attended by her family and coaches, was inducted into the Ontario Aquatic Hall of Fame in recognition of her commitment and contribution to the sport.

David Grossman is a veteran award-winning Journalist, Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 45+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.