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Key Points
- Heather Miers can’t walk unaided but she is able to swim with a greater purpose.
- The 57-year-old raised the most money in a 24-hour swimathon in Melbourne.
- The swim challenge aims at raising funds for people living with multiple sclerosis.
“I had to get a stick just to show people that this is what it is. I’m not walking [like this] because I’m pissed. I’m walking because I have a neurological issue,” she said.
Swimmers swam for 24 hours straight in the annual 2023 Fitzroy MS Mega Swim to raise funds for multiple sclerosis. Source: Supplied / Aaron Smith
Now aged 57, she has lived with for nearly three decades. It’s a condition she says impacts her “whole world”.
“It’s always been a natural sport for me. If I can get there, once I’m in the water, I stick my goggles on and away I go. It’s just wonderful.”
More than 450 swimmers helped raise $178,216 for MS at the Megaswim. Source: Supplied / Aaron Smith
MS is a neurological disease in which a person’s immune system attacks itself and exposes nerves in the body. It can impact the brain and spinal cord.
While MS affects each person differently, Heather’s balance became uncoordinated and she lost some of her eyesight. She is also sensitive to heat and now relies on a walker or motorised scooter to get around. Other symptoms can include dizziness and fatigue, muscle weakness, and tingling and numbness.
Sleepless splash
Heather was among hundreds of swimmers who dived into the 2023 Fitzroy MS Mega Swim in Melbourne a fortnight ago. Twenty-six teams swam laps for 24 hours straight to raise funds for the incurable condition.
Heather (right) swam within the first hour and the last hour of the challenge as team captain of the Hammerheads. Source: Supplied / Heather Miers
Her team, the Hammerheads, completed 50 km as people swam day and night, up and down the lanes. Heather raised $8,625 alone — the highest individual donation in the challenge.
A swimmer from each team needs to be in the pool at all times for 24 hours, according to the challenge’s rules. Source: Supplied / Aaron Smith
MS Plus, the organisation that held the event — raised $178,216 — shooting past its initial fundraising target of $130,000.
The funds go towards scholarships aimed at helping individuals living with MS achieve their dreams. The scholarships are awarded across the categories of personal experience, education, employment and living well.
“We love it. We will be doing it forever.”
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