Hi, I'm Luke Belfield; I grew up with Juvenile Arthritis since age 11. When active, my ankle swelled to the size of a tennis ball, I limped, shuffled, & relied on crutches. I inject myself with strong Immunosuppressants (Adalimumab/Amgevita) every fortnight to keep it in remission.

I will swim from England to France Solo 🇫🇷🏊🏽‍♂️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 in September 2025 without a wetsuit. This 21 mile slog through freezing, jellyfish filled waters, is the busiest shipping lane in the world; 2,608 people have successfully crossed; more have summited Mount Everest.

The swim and all expenses are paid for out of my personal pocket; 100% of donations go directly to Versus Arthritis, the same charity that helped my parents and I through Arthritis.

I’m in the Arthritis Community, a Webinar with Dr Sen at a High School, a speech at the UCLH Town Hall, been interviewed by Sky News, and an article written by DAZN. I've done two podcasts, Arthur's Place and Swimmingpod. I attend quarterly meetings & annual Away Days with Drs & patients.

My mission is to inspire movement in people with Arthritis through this non-contact, non-impact, non-weight-bearing physical outlet. I was misdiagnosed for two years, I had deep shame of having an "old person's disease"; yet JIA impacts thousands of kids; often kids are undiagnosed or misunderstood. I want to help change that narrative, reduce diagnosis time, and give hope that this long term disease doesn't have to be a barrier from achieving their dreams. My hope is to showcase swimming not only as a sport, but as a pathway to healing, community, and long-term wellbeing. I think back to that 11-year-old boy who just wanted to play football. I want to give that child, and thousands like him; hope.

I'll be the first known Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis patient to swim the English Channel Solo; database

The donations support research, community, and services to improve patient’s quality of life. For example, there is a Residential weekend camp for kids to do activities (archery, mini-golf, white-water rafting) designed to build confidence, peer support, and independence.

Instagram: @arthritisswimmer and YouTube

Sky News Interview (at the Serpentine Christmas Race) about my English Channel Solo Journey with Arthritis (skip to 10:43):

Arthur's Place: Arthur's Heroes Podcast:

Full Podcast: https://arthursplace.co.uk/podcasts/

The English Channel Solo 🇫🇷🏊🏽‍♂️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿:

In September 2025, I’ll be taking on one of the toughest solo challenges: swimming the English Channel in nothing but skins, fully adhering to CSA rules—no wetsuit, no touching the boat, non-stop. The journey from England to France spans 34km-42km (or 21 miles point to point), which can take between 7 to 29 hours to finish. Fewer people have swum an English Channel Solo than have climbed Mount Everest, and it’s the busiest shipping lane in the world.

What’s in store? Cold waters (15°C-18°C), pitch-black night swims, unpredictable weather, powerful tides that can double the distance, stinging jellyfish, and random debris. I’ll be eating while swimming, because stopping is not an option. And the start time? I won’t know until the night before, my launch window could be 3 AM or 3 PM, at the mercy of the tides. The swim is brutal; no scenic views, no clear finish line, but it’s a team effort.

I will swim from Jersey to France Solo between 2-7 July as well 🇫🇷🏊‍♂️🇯🇪

Fundraising 💰:

100% of donations go directly to Versus Arthritis, the same charity that helped me and my parents through Arthritis. The swim and all its expenses are paid for out of my personal pocket.

Adolescence:

I have suffered with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) from the age of 11. I limped when I could walk; when I couldn’t, I relied on crutches. My hips throbbed, my knees swelled, and my ankle often ballooned to the size of a tennis ball. As Idiopathic implies, little is known about the autoimmune disease, so it frustratingly went undiagnosed for two exhausting years at the age of 13. Once diagnosed and in the hands of Dr Sen and GOSH, I had a glimmer of hope and relief.

Adulthood:

At 17, the Arthritis went into remission. For some years, I lead a normal life. No meds. No pain. Yet, I had never truly come to terms with my past.

Unfortunately, at 24, I had a chronic relapse with inflammation in my knees and ankle. Even though this was tough, this was one of the best things that ever happened for me. This instilled persistence; discipline; hope.

Marathons & Ironman:

Past Athens Marathon Just Giving Page

I did my first Marathon run at the Athens Marathon. This was the journey where I first opened up about Arthritis. I then managed to do three 70.3 Ironmans and one Full Ironman in Emilia Romagna in Italy (12:59:40). A Full Ironman is 3.9km swim, 180km cycle, 42.2km Marathon run.

Make My Mess My Message 📣:

I did a talk for University College Hospital (UCLH) with Dr Sen’s and Dr Bourari’s team in 2023; Dr Sen’s team have helped me through Arthritis since I was 13 years old. The first talk was a recorded speech at the UCLH Town Hall for adolescents and young adults with Rheumatic diseases. I attended and spoke at an annual away day with Drs and patients. I contribute to PPIE meetings which helps break down mental barriers patients thought wasn’t possible. And attend the Rheumatology Team's Hangout Space too, which lets patients Meet, Connect, and Learn. I have done two podcasts, one on Arthur's Place (an Arthritis charity); Arthur's Heroes, and on Swimmingpod with Stanley. I recorded a 20 minute Webinar for a High School, hosted by one of the Lead Rheumatologists in the UK.

Luke’s Seas, Lakes, & Straits 🏊🏽‍♂️:

I have spoken about my longer distance swims in 2024 at the Serpentine Swimming Club. And written a blog about swimming cross-continents, from Asia To Europe in the Bosphorus Strait. I will swim Jersey to France in July 2025.

In 2025, I have done four 6 hour qualifying swims, four swimming camps, and 100 100s Off 02:00mins.

Present Day:

I may look 100% healthy, but here's what you don't see… I currently inject myself with a strong immunosuppressant pen (Amgevita, Adalimumab) every fortnight (which can have nasty side-effects) and take DMARDs (Sulfasalazine) twice a day. I still see Dr Sen’s team regularly; I still have mandatory MRI scans, and I must have mandatory blood tests every three months to have my medication prescribed. I’ve accepted this is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life. I regularly get Uveitis, an inflammation flare-up of the eyes. In 2024, I had four flare-ups. If I overexert myself, I tend to get Uveitis (eg after intense Triathlon or Swimming camps).

I am not cured... the Arthritis is in remission… but I am OK with that. I holistically control Arthritis through my six pillars: sleep, exercise, nutrition, stress management, breath-work, community.

Purpose:

I don’t want anyone with Arthritis, child or adult, to lead my hopeless Adolescence story. It is far too easy to spiral into pity. I want them to lead my Adulthood story, with optimism, hope, and grit. But to do that, they need the right medication and support to get into remission. Versus Arthritis is a charity that helps with researching new medication and have an online community to help tackle Arthritis together. VA is why I can swim, cycle, run, and why I can fund-raise.

Sports are vital to leading a healthy lifestyle; movement is critical to remission, which is a chicken-and-egg because auto-immune diseases limit many sports. But swimming; a non-contact, non-impact, non-weight-bearing sport that Physios recommend should be celebrated. The Channel is the pinnacle of Open-Water. Cold water immersion is proven to boost your immune system. My Triathlon shelf-life could be cut short, but there will always be longevity in swimming. As with strength training; if I'd known how great power-lifting motions (with light-weights) are for your body as a teen, I'd have been motivated to do more. There are social norms for men to be physically strong and athletic, which holistically impacts confidence mentally. If I had not been so fixed on Football in my adolescence, I could have found other passions sooner... but that starts with role-models. My Channel Solo could inspire any patient with limited mobility to get into a pool or lido. The Channel is my goal... what's your Channel Swim?

I want to lead by example for kids with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and prove what can be achieved with perseverance, discipline, and hope when in remission. It is possible to lead an extra-ordinary, happy, inspiring life…

Follow My Story:

In 2023, I did a talk for juveniles and adolescents at the UCLH Hospital Town Hall, see below:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisswimmer/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@FromCrutchesToKilometers

Arthur's Place Charity: Arthur's Heroes Podcast: https://arthursplace.co.uk/podcasts/

Luke’s Seas, Lakes, & Straits (2024) 🏊🏽‍♂️:

• Windermere - 18km, 7hrs 50mins, Water Temp: 15.5°C non-wetsuit.

• Dock2Dock - 15-16km, 6hrs 21mins, Water Temp: 16°C non-wetsuit.

• Lake Ullswater - 14.1km, 5hrs 41mins, Water Temp: 14.5°C non-wetsuit.