The 32-year-old Benoni resident, an SA Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) ambassador, braved the gruelling 33 km False Bay crossing to raise much-needed funds and awareness of the registry.
Two years ago, swimmer Christine Roos signed up to do the False Bay crossing, but her dream could not be fulfilled due to weather conditions. Last year, she did the same, but she broke her foot and that derailed her plans again.
But as the saying goes, third time lucky as she was able to complete the “Everest of Cape Swims” on Sunday 19 November.
The 32-year-old Benoni resident, an SA Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) ambassador, braved the gruelling 33 km False Bay crossing to raise much-needed funds and awareness of the registry.
The swim has been completed only by a handful of swimmers, the first successful solo False Bay crossing completed by Annemie Landmeters in 1989.
Swimmers are confronted with several obstacles during the open water swim, including strong and unpredictable currents, and inconsistent water temperatures. False Bay is also notorious for great white sharks.
Roos took on the waters between Millers Point and Rooi Els, and completed the mammoth task in 11 hours and 24 mins.
She said: “It feels surreal, I still need to reflect and let it sink in. I am running on residual adrenaline.”
Two years ago, she also took on the Blouberg Crossing from Big Bay to Robben Island, (“Swimmer braves cold for awareness”, People’s Post, 6 April 2021).
“This was a much bigger challenge than Robben Island. I always wanted to do the English Channel, but it’s quite expensive.”
Roos is elated that she can now tick it off her bucket list.
“For me, this is the icing on top of the cake in terms of two years of preparation. It was a massive bucket list for me – so to tick that off is amazing.”
She says becoming a part of a small list of people who successfully completed the crossing is a great feeling.
“The last 5kms was very tough, I had to dig deep to keep going. My shoulder was in a lot of pain and I took a jellyfish to the face.”
She hoped to raise at least R50 000 towards the registry’s Patient Assistance Programme. But managed to raise about R20 000.
According to Roos, treatment for one patient costs over R100 000.
To prepare, the swimmer explains that she has been doing open water swimming in dams and pools in Gauteng and recently attended a swimming camp in the West Coast.
Roos encourages people to become stem cell donors if they are not able to contribute financially.
Kamiel Singh, Head of Sustainability and National Operations for the SABMR, said Roos’ dedication as an ambassador is inspiring.
“Christine has been a supporter of the SABMR for many years, her commitment to the registry is really awe-inspiring. She is facing potentially the hardest swim of her life to help us save lives through raising funds and awareness. We cannot thank her enough for her invaluable contributions to the registry.”
A BackaBuddy crowdfunding campaign has been set up for the SABMR’s Patient Assistance Programme.
The campaign will run until Sunday 10 December.
Visit https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/everest-of-cape-swimsCorporates and individuals who would like to make financial contributions per kilometre completed can do so via Backabuddy or via the payment options at https://sabmr.co.za/donate/.To become a stem cell donor visit www.sabmr.co.za
