22 Miles in 22 Days
Swim22 Challenge – the distance of The English Channel
We are extremely proud of Douglas Dale, English Lakes Operations Director, who has taken on the Diabetes UK Swim 22 challenge and completed it in record time. The challenge is to swim 22 miles – the same distance as swimming the English Channel – within thirteen weeks, Douglas smashed this target and completed the challenge in just nine weeks. He has donated to this worthwhile charity and hopes that his efforts will help raise awareness of the dangers of diabetes, something he knows about only too well…
Living with Diabetes
Douglas has lived with Type 1 Diabetes for over twenty-five years. It is quite a shock to learn that your pancreas, which produces insulin to control the amount of glucose in the blood, has stopped working. Type 1 Diabetes means the pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin at all, as opposed to Type 2 Diabetes when it doesn’t produce enough, or when the body’s cells don’t react to insulin.
If Diabetes isn’t managed well it can cause blindness, amputations, stroke, heart attacks, kidney disease and, for some, early death. The statistics are quite startling. In the UK, 700 people a day are told they have Diabetes, and there are around 4.5 million people in the UK living with the condition.
Diabetes UK has a mission to ensure that those suffering from Diabetes are given the very best care and support to manage the condition. They are also active in improving health care and working to prevent Diabetes Type 2 which is reaching epidemic proportions.
One Day, A Cure
For years Douglas managed his diabetes by injecting himself regularly with insulin. It would have been unthinkable 25 years ago that syringes and needles would not be needed to manage the condition. Nowadays, Douglas uses an Omnipod, a personalised system that delivers insulin when it is needed, delivered with the push of a button and no needles in sight. It is waterproof and allows Douglas complete freedom to swim as and when he chooses without removing the device.
As well as supporting Diabetic sufferers, Diabetes UK are the leading charitable funder of research into the condition and continue the quest to understand the causes of diabetes and, ultimately, find a cure.
Swimming – A Great Way to Keep Fit and Stay Active
Although there is no way to prevent Type 1 Diabetes, keeping fit and active, and adopting a healthy diet, is an important factor in reducing the chances of getting Diabetes Type 2. Swmming is an
Douglas completed the Swim22 challenge in the pools at the Health Club at Low Wood Bay and at Sandpiper Club, Lancaster House. He set himself the target of swimming 106 lengths, or 1 mile, each time he visited the Clubs so that he would complete the challenge in 22 days. There is still time to challenge yourself for Swim22, or just challenge yourself to start your own fitness challenge.
Above, the pool at Low Wood Bay. Below, the Sandpiper Club
Congratulations Douglas!
