Brave disabled swimmer from Gosport set to take on Channel swimming challenge

That is what has happened to Gill Flynn, 62, from Gosport, whose disability has led to her discovering a passion for swimming that she says has reinvigorated her.

Gill is now looking to swim the equivalent of the English Channel for charity.

Gill suffers from pelvic radiation disease, a by-product of the chemotherapy she went through after a cancer diagnosis in July 2014.

The disease affects tissue and organs around the pelvic area, as well as causing pain in the bones.

Gill said: ‘To be diagnosed with pelvic radiation disease after my chemotherapy was a bit of a double-whammy, and for a long time I just didn’t know what to do with myself.

‘I had always been quite sporty but everything got on top of me – I had resigned myself to my new fate inactive, and was just fading away.

‘But when I discovered swimming it was like a revelation. My bones stop hurting and I feel like myself again.

‘The looks I get coming out of the pool and grabbing my walking stick genuinely make ma laugh.’

Gill will be swimming 44 lengths each day next month – the equivalent of the 22 miles across the Channel.

The charity swim will be in support of the Eve Appeal, which funds research into gynae-cancers.

She said: ‘To me, the gynaecological cancers aren’t something that people are as aware of.

‘The Eve Appeal does a great job of looking after people like me, who may struggle to come to terms with what happens to them.’

Gill will be doing the swim at Gosport Leisure Centre, and wants people with disabilities to feel more confident.

She said: ‘Just go for it and don’t hold back.

‘Don’t be defined by your disability.’