One man....one pair of Speedos....one dream....

During Coronavirus, Crohn's and Colitis UK have released an urgent appeal as they have very limited resources and are struggling to keep up with demand!  The NHS is signposting people to Crohn's and Colitis UK and as a result calls to their helpline have risen by 400% and visits to their website have increased by 600%. Support is needed now more than ever.

After being diagnosed with Crohn's four years ago, I have learned a lot, mainly that:

       - the illness can affect every inch of your body from your gut to your eyes

       - cold water swimming has the amazing ability to boost the immune system, reduce inflammation and generally keep me healthy

        - Crohn's & Colitis UK are an incredible charity that makes a real difference to the c.300,000 in the UK that suffer with IBD

To support them and everyone they help, I will be attempting to swim from Dover to Calais twice in 2020 - beginning with a relay with three others in July as part of the training and then solo in August.

Strict Channel Swimming Association rules mean that I'll be doing the 21 mile swim (which will be closer to 30 miles due to tides) in just a swim cap, goggles and a pair of Speedos with the water temperature somewhere between 14-18 degrees.   

To ensure it is classed as an official solo swim, I will have a support boat with pilot, swim coach, couple of support crew, and an official CSA observer to make sure I don't touch the boat or anyone else.   

Not being the fastest swimmer, should I be successful, the solo will take me north of 15 hours. However, only about 30% of swimmers have made it across, so it may take a small miracle to get me over. I've been training for two years to give myself as good a chance as possible!

Aside from the distance, the main obstacles will be:

       1. The cold - most failed swims are due to hypothermia

       2. Weather conditions - rough seas and wind won't help, but strong tides could force me well off course

       3. Jellyfish – I’ve attached a photo of my sting training to date!

       4. Ships - there are about 800 tankers and ferries per day

       5. Sewage - part of my medication for Crohn's means my immune system is compromised so what could go wrong swimming through sewage?

So why am I doing it?  

Quite simply, to raise money for Crohn's & Colitis UK.

I was diagnosed in 2016 and the charity were unbelievably helpful in providing a wealth of information and support about Crohn's during a period where we couldn't get the illness under control.  I spent the first three years or so trialling different medications, making awkward toilet-related jokes, and feeling pretty crap. I've now found a drug that is working - Azathioprine, which is an immunosuppressant. However, it does have some potentially nasty side effects such as an increased risk of cancers and it is poisoning my liver...so I have to take another drug to keep that happy. Not something I am keen to do forever.

There is no cure for Crohn’s yet but Crohn's & Colitis UK are working hard to find one, giving hope as well as daily help, advice and support to all sufferers. 

If that isn’t worth swimming through raw sewage for, I’m not sure what is!

Thank you, anything you can give is hugely appreciated!