World Cancer Day: Two swimmers' stories
Today is World Cancer Day. There are over 200 types of cancer, and according to Cancer Research UK, one in three people in Britain will get cancer in their lifetime.
Every year in the UK hundreds of millions of pounds is spent on drugs to help prevent and treat cancer.
Being physically active isn't just good for your heart - research has shown that it can also reduce the risk of developing breast, bowel or womb cancer. Keeping active could help to prevent around 3,400 cases of cancer every year in the UK.
The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) recognises that cancer can lead to life-changing impairments or that many disabled people will be affected by cancer during their lifetime.
EFDS is committed to getting more disabled people active, but the stark reality is that disabled people are half as likely to take part in regular activity than non-disabled people.
To mark World Cancer Day, EFDS has brought together two swimmers with two very different stories, to discuss living with their impairments and how their active lifestyles help them to achieve their life goals.
Marc Woods, 46, was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer in his foot at the age of 17. Already a county-grade swimmer, his leg amputation kickstarted a professional swimming career which saw him compete for Great Britain at five Paralympic Games and win 12 medals.
Millie Bywater, from Gloucester, is 15 years old. She is also a swimmer, with S11 classification. Millie had her right eye removed at three years and has little sight in her left. She is the number one ranked junior in the country over 400m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and 100m backstroke, trains five times her week and is targeting a place at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.
Discovering sport
Millie: Swimming is always something I’ve enjoyed. Prior to getting involved in the sport I wasn’t a particularly active person, though I did do a bit of horseriding each week. But I then went on a taster day with my school and did a little trail, and they had a couple of coaches in attendance. At the end, they gave out leaflets with all sorts of contact information, plus we then got a letter. And my Mum contacted them, I then went for a trail with the club and they then told me I could start with them, training twice a week.
Marc: When I got diagnosed, I wasn’t sure what being an amputee would mean in terms of what I would be capable of doing. I now know I can do anything, but at the time I wasn’t sure what I’d be able to do, although I did know I would still be able to swim.
Millie: I knew really nothing about competitive swimming before I went on that training day. And I’m sure I would now be a person who didn’t engage much with any form of exercise, had I not fallen into swimming. It’s always worth going and getting involved, especially if it’s something you’ve always enjoyed.
Marc: I got back into the pool again when I was in the middle of all my treatments, and fairly quickly I was swimming quicker with one leg than I had before with two. I was just applying myself better. And 18 months after my diagnosis and all my treatments I went to Seoul for my first Paralympics in 1988.
Finding a sport that motivates you to be active
Marc: Initially, upon being told you have cancer, there’s a huge shock. You’ve got this condition, you’re going to have your leg amputated, and I thought it would have a massive impact on my ability to do anything, never mind play sport. I didn’t know how I was even going to be able to walk, and I didn’t know any other amputees. But I knew I was still going to be able to swim - that wasn’t going to be an issue.
Millie: Three years ago I wasn’t even swimming properly – we used to just go down to the pool for a bit of fun with my family. Swimming is always something I’ve enjoyed, so it has been nice to get increasingly involved in a sport that I liked before but didn’t get to do very often. At school, the sport that I used to do was running and so forth, sports which were not what I enjoyed. But I have always found swimming fun and enjoyable, both training and then participating in competitions.
Marc: Once I got my artificial leg I tried to go straight back to all the things I used to do. And I used to play all sorts of sports as a kid, everything. I did have some initial challenges in terms of the comfort of the leg, especially when trying to play tennis or go for a run or whatever. Nowadays my leg is a lot more comfortable and gradually, over the years, I’ve realised that there aren’t really any sports that I can’t do.
Achieving in the pool
Millie: When it comes to race day I love hitting my target times and putting all the time I’ve spent training into practice.
Marc: I suddenly took swimming seriously after my cancer and amputation because I realised life is a finite amount of time. Within six months of having my leg amputated I went and competed at my first nationals. I realised I could swim and I could swim well, and I could enjoy my sport as much if not more than I had done before.
Millie: My biggest achievement in the pool up to this point is when I swam my first sub-one minute 50m freestyle. It was something I had been aiming to do for quite a while – I have now managed it two times in competitions. I suppose I’m more competitive now than I’ve ever been. I’m always competing these days, whereas before my relationship with swimming wasn’t based on that.
Targeting Tokyo
Millie: Now I just want to keep on improving. I’ve been told that if I keep improving the way I am and keep getting my times down that hopefully I can realistically aim for the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2020. That was a big surprise, when they told me that! But at the moment I have only competed on a national level – I need to improve my times and start qualifying for international competitions.
Marc: Good luck, Millie. The first time I stood on the Paralympics podium it felt pretty amazing. It was a huge sense of jubilation. Find enjoyment in sport and physical activity wherever you can. It can be hard, even monotonous, to train, but if you can find enjoyment in learning the skills, if you can find enjoyment in the conversations you have with others, then it helps you cope with the training. Just enjoy it every which way you can.
Enjoying your fitness
Millie: I’m having to combine all my swimming with still being in school. I train one early morning a week, so on that day my alarm goes off at 4:45. That’s every Tuesday, every week. I don’t mind the mornings, though – that wakes me up for the rest of the day.
Marc: Everybody benefits from a healthy lifestyle, and possibly more so if you’re already living with a disability.
Millie: My fitness has improved quite a bit, which wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t gone and joined in. It’s also nice to be active, rather than not doing anything active at all.
Marc: I know guys who towards the end of their competitive careers still swam because it was good for their impairments, in terms of how they live day-in-day-out. For many it gives you a good chance of a better for a quality of life. So without a doubt, fitness is crucial really.
Millie: I’ve improved a lot in three years, and my fitness is so much better. I didn't used to be active but all my exercise improves my fitness, and I feel healthy and strong. And that’s a great feeling.
Would you like to try swimming? Find out more on the Go Swimming website. EFDS would like to thank the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust for their help with this article. Visit the World Cancer Day website for more information. Wear a Unity Band, available from Cancer Research UK, as a symbol. Move More: Activity for Cancer Survivors is a report from MacMillan made available to download through the EFDS website.
