Claire Hatton

Why Cantoo and an Ocean Swim

Thirty odd years ago, I lost one of my closest university friends to leukemia. She was just 21. Today, thanks to advances in cancer research, she likely would have survived. This is why I'm taking on a challenge of a 2km ocean swim with Cantoo.

For years, I've watched those distinctive orange Cantoo caps bobbing in the waves, but never imagined I'd be wearing one myself. It wasn't until I interviewed Annie Crawford, Cantoo's inspiring founder, for my and Greta Thomas' podcast 'Don't Stop Us Now!' that I truly understood what those caps represented: ordinary people achieving extraordinary things while funding vital cancer research.

On paper, a 2km ocean swim might not sound daunting for someone who's done ocean swimming before. But three years ago, everything changed. During Covid, I developed severe sciatica. The pain was so intense it would make me sick. Swimming, which had once been my joy, became impossible because the pain was so bad. I had to give it up entirely.

This year, I made a modest pledge to start fresh – just putting my toe in the water five days a week. Simple, right? Yet I failed. I realised that I made every excuse imaginable not to swim. After some deep soul-searching, I finally admitted the truth: I was afraid. Not of the ocean itself, but of the prospect of triggering  that horrible pain again.

While I've rebuilt my physical strength through dedicated work and the sciatica has largely subsided, the mental barriers remain. That's why I've decided to  do a 2km ocean swim for Cantoo.

Thanks so much for considering sponsoring me. Your sponsorship will help fund critical cancer research that's already saving lives, while I get back to the thing I love, swimming in the ocean. Win, win.