I'm making a splash and taking on a 10 mile swim for people with Alzheimer’s.

Earlier this year, my amazing, loving, caring Nan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She has been dealing with memory loss for many years but only now has been diagnosed with this life changing condition. She is my world and I want to do the best I can to support her as she has supported me with everything I have been through, good and bad, my entire life.

A little bit about me! In 2017 I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes which for a 16 year old was incredibly hard to adjust. Multiple daily injections and constant supervision of my blood sugar levels, I thought my life would never be the same. Fast forward nearly 7 years to November 2023, I change from insulin injections to an insulin pump which automatically gives me insulin throughout the day, all I need to do at mealtimes is tell it I’m eating and it’ll give me more insulin for that meal. The last 10 months have been amazing; it’s like I have a tiny pancreas (that works) attached to me! I have my life back and apart from having to bring sweets with me everywhere I go, I can look and feel normal again.

But this isn’t the only condition I have. I have a condition called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS for short. This means my heart doesn’t work properly and can beat very very fast causing me to have symptoms similar to those of a heart attack and I pass out frequently. This condition can flare up at any time, from small things like standing up to things out of my control such as the hot or even the cold weather! With this it means I also have exercise intolerance meaning I can’t exercise for very long before I start having symptoms. However, swimming is the better exercise of the lot for me because where I am basically laying down, it doesn’t affect me as much as it would if I were running for example. My heart rate still increases as it would during exercise however I can do it for a lot longer when I swim.

I have many more conditions that can affect my daily life. I have FND which causes me to have seizures, CFS which sometimes leaves me bed bound, both ADHD and Autism which I am am still getting used to and many more both mental and physical conditions as well as learning difficulties.

So that’s my story! I hope you have a better understanding of why I am swimming these 10 short miles and I hope I have encouraged you to show your support; whether that be sharing my story or even donating!