Laura Colette of Boston brought Karen Gaffney to our attention. Karen is an open water swimmer and a tremendously inspirational person who heads her own namesake foundation. She also was the first person with Down Syndrome to swim the English Channel.
Karen completed her English Channel adventure as part of a six-person relay team, "My team needed me and that was a great feeling. But it was even better to know they had confidence in me."
Karen's longest solo was across Lake Tahoe (see video below) as well as swims in Ireland, Boston and several swims in San Francisco Bay, including Alcatraz.
That camaraderie of the open water swimming community demonstrates itself in so many profound and beautiful ways.
The Karen Gaffney is a non-profit organization dedicated to championing the journey to full inclusion in families, schools, communities and the workplace for people with Down Syndrome or other developmental disabilities.
Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association
No comments:
Post a Comment