With one stroke of courage at 42, Curro Salt Rock teacher Debbie Smeda began a life-changing journey of rediscovering herself and living a life of purpose through swimming.
For someone who previously hardly swam a lap in her life, she now boasts completing the Midmar mile CANSA charity challenge in 46 minutes, something she never dreamt of achieving.
This comes after accepting the challenge of joining Curro’s team to swim the Midmar charity event as part of the school’s 10th anniversary celebrations in February.
Smeda has since then also completed the Ocean’s 8 charity swim in Durban.
“Through this journey, I met beautiful people who have never swum before and we formed a sisterhood through our shared experiences,” she said.
Smeda said she hopes to inspire a generation of women not to be body conscious but to lead healthy, confident lives.
“I was very conscious with how I looked in a costume. I felt super shameful and used to walk to the end of the pool, quickly throw off my towel and jump in.
Over time I became more confident, not because I look any different but because it doesn’t matter what I look like. I’m doing what I love, and it makes me happy,” she said.
Will she tackle another Midmar? Having lost her aunt to cancer, Smeda is already in training and determined to swim the 8-mile Midmar Challenge again in February next year to raise funds for the Pink Drive – an NPO that promotes cancer awareness, educates and provides services to women who need it the most.
To support Smeda’s journey you can visit https://kydrin.co.za/goals/1825 to donate. All proceeds will go to the Pink Drive.
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