Imagine your body no longer works, you can't reach up to a cupboard, you can't sit in the sun for fear that it brings you out in a rash, you can only shuffle slowly with a walker, and you're constantly in pain. My Mama (grandmother) shared her insight into being old, and frequently encouraged me in her last year to realise how precious being young and healthy is, and the sheer potential of being able to do anything you want to!

Those sentiments inspired me to start my swim challenge on 16th Dec 2013; To swim a mile a day, every day for a year; 365 days, 365 miles, 584 kms, 23,360 lengths of a standard pool. I'm not (yet) much of a swimmer; I started swimming again in Feb of last year. Having cracked breaststroke, I need to learn frontcrawl again. Not sure what the most tricky part of the challenge will be yet; the physical aspect, making the time every day, the sheer determination to keep going for a whole year... If I miss a day (illness, pool closure etc), I have to catch up, making other days much harder..

My Mama sadly passed away just before New Year, at the grand age of 91, from old age. I searched for a great charity that helped her and drew a blank - my family are pretty self sufficient...

So, following the theme of how amazing it is to be healthy enough to do whatever you want, I reflected on the impact that cancer has had on so many of those around me. My beautiful friend Sammy found a lump at 25 and had to go through a couple of years of chemo and recovery hell. Washing her hair and seeing big clumps just coming away as easily as water was so frightening, for two years her life and ambitions were washed away (happily she won the fight and 10 years on she remains in remission and has two beautiful children with another on the way). This is just one story, there are too many more.

1 in 3 people experince cancer in their lives. Every bit of sponsorship will be helping people around you. THANK YOU for being so generous!!

I swim because I can!

Anoushka xx

 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.