A 32-year-old woman will be braving a 33km swim across False Bay next week to raise funds and awareness for the South African Bone Marrow Registry.
Aided by a support boat, Christine Roos, of Benoni, will tackle the waters between Millers Point and Rooi Els on Monday November 20. The swim is estimated to take between 10 ½ and 12 hours to complete.
Ms Roos completed the 7.4km swim from Big Bay to Robben Island in 2021, but she says the False Bay crossing is probably the biggest challenge she has ever faced, and one she has spent the last two years training for.
She aims to raise R50 000 for the registry’s patient assistance programme.
“The enormity of this challenge is not lost on me, but it is nothing compared to what patients and their families have to endure to find a matching donor as a result of a life-threatening blood disorder, and added to this, not being able to afford the treatment,” she said.
Kamiel Singh, a spokesman for the registry, said Ms Roos had been a supporter for many. years.
“Her commitment to the registry is really awe-inspiring. She is facing potentially the hardest swim of her life to help us save lives through raising funds and awareness.”
Ms Roos has been training in swimming pools and dams around Gauteng and the Vaal River and recently completed an ocean swim camp in Langebaan on the Cape West Coast. She trained outdoors in winter in water temperatures of between 11 and 14ºC. The water temperature for the upcoming swim needs to be a minimum of 16 ºC for the event to commence.
“This swim has been on my bucket list for some time. It is overwhelming and I often have doubts. However, it is in these moments that I really push myself to focus on the training and why I am doing this,” she said.
A BackaBuddy crowdfunding champion page has been set up to raise funds for the registry’s patient assistance programme and will run until Sunday December 10. Visit sabmr.co.za for more information.
