Swimming 80 lengths to mark VE Day 80

A blind veteran from Devon is swimming 80 lengths of his local pool to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day and raise money for our charity. 

Lee, 49, and from Plymouth, will swim a total of 2,000 metres on 8 May at Plympton Swimming Pool starting at 8am and hopefully finishing by 8pm. He says:

“As a child, I was part fish and loved to be in the water. I was never a strong swimmer but have always found being in, on, or near water therapeutic.

“Until this week, I’d not swam more than two lengths of the pool for quite some time and since losing my sight I’ve found I can’t walk in a straight line, let alone swim in a straight line, so this is going to be a huge challenge for me.

“I need help to get in and out of the pool and once in I feel like a human pinball, bouncing off the ropes marking off my lane and only discovering I’ve reached the end when I bang my head and then know it’s time to turn around.”

Lee lost his sight suddenly in his mid-40s following a brain haemorrhage. He says:

“What I thought was a Sunday morning nap, turned into something much more serious. I went into a coma and the doctors were preparing my family for the worst. When I woke in hospital a few weeks later, it wasn’t immediately obvious that I’d lost my sight as I was hallucinating and seeing all sorts of things; it was absolutely terrifying."

Lee received a phone call out of the blue from a Community Support Worker from our charity who told him that we may be able to help him. Lee says:

“I had all but forgotten about my military service as it was very brief and I wasn’t at all sure of accepting the support of the charity at first but reluctantly agreed to have a visit.

“Blind Veterans UK has been amazing; the charity has given me back the skills and confidence to face up to my new life and to make the most of every day. I’ve been provided with counselling and technology. Having the charity by my side has made me feel safe.

“I’m hoping that with this challenge I can give something back to the charity and pay respect to those men and women who made it possible for us to live as we do now. It is important that we do not forget their sacrifice.”

Lee has set himself a fundraising target of £80 but has already exceeded this. He is now excited to see how much he can raise.