My name is Naomi Vides. I’m 22 years old, and I’ve got a dream. I want to swim across the English Channel. I've always thought I'll do it one day, one day when I have more experience, more self confidence, that far away one day when I'm a bigger and better person. I never thought it was something I could do now, in the present.

However, I think as a person in a position of significant privilege, as I and probably most people reading this are, it is important to make the most of that privilege, to live the best life you can, to be true to your beliefs and values and to be honest with yourself. So being honest with myself, all of the above are just excuses. I'm incredibly scared - of the cold, of jellyfish, of my mind, of failure. But, it is my belief that setting oneself challenges is healthy for the mind, body and soul, and I think they are the only way to live. 

So here we are this is my challenge, and it's likely the hardest thing I will do in my lifetime, so I want it to be meaningful. There are so many good causes and I've spent the past 6 months debating which to pick.  My younger sister Nadya is the fundamental inspiration behind everything I do. She lives with the disability Rett Syndrome, a genetic mutation of the MECP2 Protein and so I've decided I would like to raise money for Reverse Rett, the leading charity in the research behind a cure. 

I will be swimming the channel sometime between August 13th and 20th, which, coincidentally, Nadya and my birthdays both lie between. Nadya can't speak, she can't run or jump, she can't communicate beyond the very basic, she can't get herself cleaned or dressed, she can't feed herself without making a mess, she can't control her tantrums... she can't do a lot by our usual standards of acceptability and success. However, when Nadya is happy, her laugh lights up the room, she lives her life like no one is watching, she is very happy, very funny and very kind. What she can do is inspire people. I will be forever grateful to have her as my sister. 

In 2011, scientists were able to reverse Rett in mice, and so it is very possible that there could be a cure. For me, if not literally, then symbolically, swimming to France seems of a similar likelihood to a cure being found in Nadya's lifetime - and so in attempting my part of the deal, I'd like to support the scientific community in fulfilling theirs and appreciate any support, big or small, in doing so. 

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About me: 

I was born in London but grew up in Bermuda where I learnt to swim and joined my first club around age 6. I moved to Bournemouth, UK when I was 10 where I continued with club swimming, competing at National level. I received a BA and Masters in Mathematics from Oxford University where I swam for the University Swim Club and participated in two successful channel relays. I now (until end of June 2017) am the Sport Federation President at Oxford University. In my spare time I've been coaching the Swim Club, playing Water Polo for Oxford City Water Polo club and training for my Channel swim.