Saying Hello to Hypothermia.....

As some of you may know, the English Channel is a very chilly body of water. To cross it within the rules and regulations of the English Channel Swimming Association, the swimmer is only allowed to wear a single "swimming costume", grease, one swim cap, and goggles. Since the swimmer must be in the water for 10+ hours, it becomes more difficult for the body to retain heat the more it is exhausted of its energy by swimming for such a long time.

To gain a deeper perspective on distance swimming, I recently read an incredible book entitled, "Swimming to Anarctica", by renowned swimmer, Lynne Cox. It chronicles all of her milestone swims, beginning with crossing the Catalina Channel, to the English Channel, to the Bering Strait, to swimming for one mile in the waters of Antarctica; all while following the Association's rules; only a swimsuit, cap, and goggles. And lot's of body fat.

After reading the book, I was curious. Lynne had spent years training her body to adapt to 35-40 degree water so that the Arctic swim wouldn't make her heart stop from hypothermia and shock. A good portion of the book talks about the resilience and complexity of the human body, which was truly fascinating. So, a few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I went out to the Reservoir. It was late November, and the air temperature was in the lower 50's. I didn't think the water could be that bad. Um........I was so wrong!

As we walked the trail towards the place I would enter the water, we were greeted by gloomy trees, a faint and chilly breeze, and a calm body of water.

When I removed my shoes and my feet hit the sand and rocks, a frigid bolt of coldness shot up my legs. I remember thinking, "Wow, Cheyanne. You are SO CRAZY!" I don't even want to know what my boyfriend was thinking....probably something similar....

   

I took a deep breath and began walking out to where it was deep enough to jump in. Once my calves were immersed in water, it was literally 5 seconds before my legs were throbbing in pain from the cold. I couldn't believe it-I didn't think the water could be less than 50 degrees...how could it be so frigid? The temp of the Channel is likely to be in the lower 60s during the time I am scheduled to swim. I hoped that by being in water this cold, it would give me some perspective in cold water swimming.

Once the water was past my knees, I realized my chest was heaving. What an odd feeling-my body was taking complete control to adapt to the frigid water. When the water was above my waste, my body was freaking out and I turned around, and got out of the water. The air temp felt like 70 degrees compared to the water. So odd. Then, I turned around, and got back into the water. The water felt less cold this time, so I plunged in, head first. 

I began sprinting out about 25 yards, and then I realized that I couldn't breathe deep enough to keep the sprinting going because my lungs felt like they were on fire from the cold. I turned around and sprinted back in. When I stood up to walk out of the water, my body felt like it was on fire with little pins and needles everywhere. I could barely manage to ask for my towel because I was breathing and shivering so heavily. So many odd sensations going on with my body, but actually quite fascinating! I was in the water for only 2 minutes and it was so cold, I actually felt a little scared. People die in 5-10 minutes when they fall into water this cold, fully dressed! 

Once I got out, toweled off, and put my sweats and coat back on, I began to get some feeling back in my hands and toes. As we walked back to the car, I felt really tired, like I had just ran 5 miles or something. It was weird to think that only 2-3 minutes in freezing water could take so much out of you. 

When I got home, I jumped on the internet to find out what the exact temp of the water was. I thought it would be around 50 degrees......after searching through a fishing report for Iowa bodies of water, I found out it was in the lower 40s! YIKES!! Like I said........

CRAZY!

But I'm beginning to think being crazy is a necessity while on this journey:-)

Steps

I remember sitting at the kitchen table with my Grandmother and visiting with her while my Grandfather was taking one of his many daily naps. After fighting cancer for nearly ten years, his body could barely make it through the day without taking many naps, sometimes barely being awake for three hours at a time. 

I remember her telling me how the last ten years have been amazing, because as you can imagine, knowing you have a limited time left with the one you love can change your outlook on many things, and can make you really treasure what little time you have left. 

She mentioned how everyday was fought harder than the one before; trying to get food down enough to get the nutrients he needed to stay alive, and fighting the urge to stay in bed. But Grandpa was a fighter, and Grandma was there, every step of the way, as the two of them took on one day at a time, through sickness and in health; a vow they still took very seriously. 

This story, like many others, shows the will and determination of the cancer patient-no matter how grim or doubtful the outlook may be, on they plod, face against the wind, confronting any challenge with a will to survive and for any possibility to wake up the next day with their most precious gift-life.

When Grandpa finally awoke from his nap, he sat down next to me and in a drowsy smile said, "Did you know that you are my favorite granddaughter?" I laughed. He always told me this, because he not only meant it, but it was funny since I was the only granddaughter he had. We definitely had a special bond, but knowing that he may not be there the next time I visited Grandma, it meant even more to me.

As my family watched Grandpa deteriorate from cancer, his spirit never faltered, and his inner strength only grew stronger. Even in death, he still inspires all of us, for fighting such a long and hard fight.

Any of you who have walked beside a cancer patient, know that they walked or are currently walking a very rocky road. Various treatments sometimes not promising anything, and even those that promise a cure, make patients feel close to death because they become so ill as a side effect. Losing one’s hair, severe weight loss, severe fatigue, are only a few of the side effects.

In our world today, cancer is not only a very real disease, it is becoming more and more common. Have you ever asked someone why? Why is cancer becoming more and more common? There are various explanations, but my question is, why is cancer becoming more common, instead of becoming a part of history? With so many innovations in the world of science, new and up-and-coming doctors and scientists, can we do more to find a cure? The answer to this question is you. This is where the buck stops. To keep moving forward, these doctors and scientists cannot move forward because they need you to carry them on to the next step. They need funds to continue their research and it is an extremely expensive undertaking. The funds they need seem daunting when you look at the grand totals, but if you look at it in a more positive way, a number is made up of many little numbers.

An amazing accomplishment is made up of many little steps. Be one of those steps and help us to reach our goal-we cannot do this without you!

The First Steps...I Mean Strokes!

So, many of you are probably wondering how one goes about training to swim the Channel. If you want the funny version of it, I highly recommend a great Independent film called, "On a Clear Day." It's about a man who trains to swim it and it's a very quirky and funny film. On a more serious side of things, the road to swim the Channel is a very long one so it's a good idea to start early.

Training for me began about a year ago, doing a lot of training on dry land and researching many things to start getting my mind mentally sharp for this challenge. My brother, who is a Staff Sergeant in the National Guard, has been cross training me outside of the pool to strengthen my core and shoulders, to prevent me from wearing them out from swimming lap after lap. The core is a very important part of the body of a swimmer, as the core creates the barrel roll movement that makes free-styling (a.k.a. the crawl) the most efficient, especially in open water swimming.

This past summer I started training in the pool along with running and lifting, but not to build up swimming endurance quite yet. I mostly spent time building up good technique and retraining myself how to breathe bilaterally (side to side). Technique is so important and it is something you constantly have to be checking, otherwise bad habits can settle in, especially after so much repetition while putting in so many miles in the pool each week. If I were to swim at the slowest pace of 50 strokes per minute, it would take me around 45,000 strokes to finish the channel. If I develop bad habits and bad stroke technique, 45,000 bad strokes would be a problem!

Right now we are also in our early stages of raising funds and awareness for our cause. So far we have received some donations-even from people I don't even personally know! It is so inspiring and exciting to meet new people that are linked to us in such a profound way. I feel so honored to be able to bring many people together with a common cause to fight for and honor those who have fought cancer. 

More to come-check back every now and then for more updates!

Cheyanne

Welcome!

 Hi Everyone!


Welcome to Crossing for a Cure! I am Cheyanne and I am so excited you have found your way to our website and blog! As we begin to spread the word about our mission and work towards our goal of $25,000, feel free to stop back anytime and to follow along with our journey. You can also follow us on facebook. If you would like, you can contact us to share any words of encouragement, or even stories you would like to share on the blog about how cancer has impacted your life-we would love to honor you or your loved-ones who have fought the good fight. You never know how your story could impact, encourage, and inspire the life of someone else who is going through the same thing! 


It is great to have you on board!


Cheyanne