A dad was rushed to hospital with hypothermia after finishing a gruelling 31-mile swim from Devon to Swansea. Phil Warren endured freezing temperatures and jellyfish stings to finish the Bristol Channel problem in slightly below 22 hours final month.
The 52-year-old began the mammoth journey at Ilfracombe earlier than lastly reaching Gower the next night, Wales On-line experiences. He's the fourth particular person ever to tackle the crossing sporting simply Speedos and a swimming cap and is the primary to cowl the space by solely doing the breaststroke.
Problem guidelines meant that he wasn't allowed to seize onto the facet of his assist vessel at any level, with all his meals served in liquid type and tossed to him utilizing a rope whereas he remained within the water.
Phil mentioned: "It was arduous however superb - a pod of dolphins swam subsequent to me at one level, checking me out. However after being within the sea that lengthy, the sturdy tides having added an additional few miles to my journey, it did get very chilly. Fortunately my companion Nic is a paramedic and an A&E nurse, so after I lastly arrived on the seashore at Gower she took one take a look at me and went, 'Yeah, he is not proper'.
"I used to be blue, fully exhausted and had a core temperature of 31°C. I used to be then rushed by ambulance to Morriston Hospital the place additionally they discovered fluid on my lungs. They did blood assessments, chest X-rays and set about warming me up slowly. I used to be in for about eight hours earlier than getting the all-clear.
"All a part of the journey although, I suppose," mentioned Phil, including that there is a superb cause behind him pushing himself to the restrict. "I am elevating cash for Thoughts, the psychological well being charity. It is a trigger that is very near my coronary heart as a result of, about 10 years in the past, I suffered a complete breakdown.
"All of the issues I would been bottling up my entire life simply crept up behind me and hit me like a ton of bricks, abruptly. An enormous black cloud descended and I keep in mind considering, 'I've obtained to get out of right here'. I ended up leaving the home and strolling and strolling for 12 hours straight, crying the entire manner."
Fortunately, Phil obtained the assistance he wanted and now tries to ensure nobody else in an identical state of affairs goes with out. Up to now he is raised 1000's for his chosen trigger, having beforehand achieved open water swims between Penarth and cities in Somerset like Weston and Clevedon.
"Once I grew up psychological well being issues existed however nobody talked about them - the perspective was very a lot 'pull your socks up and get on with it'. We have come a good distance since then, however there's all the time extra that may be achieved to achieve out to those that may really feel like they've nowhere to show."
To donate to or discover out extra about Phil's fundraising efforts, click on right here.
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