Hannah’s Swim Challenge for Reverse Rett

My beautiful niece Poppy (who is now 9) developed as usual as a baby until she was a year old when she started to lose her motor skills. My sister took her for lots of tests & they eventually discovered she had RETT syndrome.

RETTs is a rare genetic mutation affecting girls. It has been described as a combination of Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Parkinson’s, Epilepsy and Anxiety Disorder. Any one of those conditions (and their associated symptoms) on their own can be devastating, let alone dealing with all of them together.

Poppy cannot walk or talk & has scoliosis of the spine & often has gastrointestinal problems, as well as many other symptoms, but she is the most beautiful, happy and soulful young lady! Her eyes tell you everything & her laugh is so infectious.

During my challenge I will be raising money for Reverse Rett. They are a UK medical research charity working to accelerate treatments and a cure for Rett syndrome and related MECP2 disorders.

They fund research and forge connections between scientists, doctors and families affected by Rett Syndrome to help make this goal a reality. Currently things are moving fast with clinical trials & we have lots of hope that Poppy could be helped in the future with the amazing advances they’re making.

Over the month of December to raise money for RR, I am going to swim the length of the English Channel bit by bit (21 miles/ 34 km so roughly 1.1km per day depending) yet - very luckily - in the Caribbean Sea so I won’t have to brave the cold temperatures of the UK sea!! I have never been the strongest swimmer & have always had a bit of a fear of water (especially the sea) which I’ve been working on overcoming the past year since I’ve been in Mexico. So this challenge means a lot for me personally as well as raising money for my beautiful niece (& I won’t be able to return to the UK for Christmas so it’ll be my way of sending love to my family from afar!) it’s also pushing me out my comfort zone to swim in the open water everyday!

I have a snazzy lil swim watch which will measure my distance & I will keep a log every time I swim & I will also take my go pro out from time to time to record the underwater creatures I come across!

Thank you so much to anyone who feels called to donate. Any donation - however big or small, is so much appreciated and means the world to me, Poppy & all of our family, as well as all the other little ladies living with Retts & their families.