Fiona OSullivan

Day 3 & 4 : Tuesday & Sat

I like the idea or training. Turning up and not thinking. Having someone to tell you what to do. I was looking forward to our pool training for this reason. I didn’t factor in a busy day at work and feeling super tired by the 6:15pm training time. And the not thinking part went out the window. After a warm up we’re instructed to change or stroke and breathing ratio, requiring counting! I certainly was not the best student but I did keep trying. I find that even if you are tired you can still keep going in the water. A few more drills and almost a km later I am happy to be finished. Happy tired muscles. I am super hungry and will sleep well! 

Day 2: Saturday Group swim at Bondi

We’re instructed to aim for the meeting place near Bondi Surf Bathers' Life Saving Club at 8am. I look up parking options and like the idea of arriving early, parking around Blair street and walking to the beach. I plan to park around 7:30. I don’t want to be late as we get numbered on arrival to the group. More on that later. The early planned arrival is helpful for me as I am notoriously known as ‘the late Fiona Mary’ as my father says. I lose time all the time. I can lose 10 minutes just like that! I don’t know where the time goes. If someone says let’s meet at x time, my head somehow computes x as the time I leave. Luckily after 50 years I have cottoned on to the strange workings of my mind and work on strategies to arrive on time. They fail miserably when I am tired, due to the loosing time issue. Scusa, I digress. 

Day 1: Tuesday 7 November

Big day at work, wondering am I going to be able to swim a lap. Still I am very excited about the Program and having stroke correction. 

WOW, what an adventure!

On the 4th of November, thanks to a recommendation from a friend, I signed up for the CanToo Summer 1km Ocean swim program. I wanted to learn more about the ocean and gain confidence swimming in open water without flippers. I have the best mermaid family I swim with on Sundays at Shelly Beach, however I need to wear flippers to keep up with my seriously good mer family who swim without them, and so flippers/fins became my safety net. I would seriously get panic attacks without fins, not to mention no hope in Hades to keep up! 

I'm facing my ocean swimming fears. Follow my progress and help to raise funds for cancer research and prevention with Can Too Foundation. 

It’s funny, facing breast cancer in 2014, opened up many opportunities to face fear. Maybe not fear of death so much because I was in denial, more fear about what it would mean for others. My children and family. My friends. Menopause was one of my greatest fears, I was way too young to be hit with that. Loosing hair was pretty fearful and traumatic. I navigated these challenges with family and friends and found an inner courage and strength and. great calmness. 

Fatigue and pain from treatment that lasted for years is starting to be in the past. 

Swimming at Manly was a way to heal every Sunday. Meeting up with my fabulous Mermaid friends who kindly and patiently swam with me while I built up swim strength. There is something very healing about the sea water. I would get panic attacks, but learnt their triggers and kept persistent. 7 years later I still swim Sundays at Shelly. 

Time for a new challenge. I’ve always wanted to swim in open water but felt nervous after being caught in a rip at Bondi years ago. When a friend mentioned Cantoo swim program, I knew I had to sign up. I was away for my annual MDC fundraiser so here was my opportunity - become a better swimmer, face my fears, raise money. I hope sharing this challenge with you might open the door for you too!

Why do I fund raise?

1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. This means that potentially someone we love may have to battle cancer, and that's a statistic that needs to change. 

So I asked myself, "what can I do to help?" That's where the Can Too Foundation came in! Can Too provides professionally coached training programs for participants of any fitness level to run, swim and cycle their way to a healthier lifestyle and a cancer-free world. 

In return, I am raising valuable funds that go towards innovation in the prevention, care, and control of cancer. Since 2005, Can Too Foundation has trained over 18,000 participants and raised over $25,000,000 to invest in over 200 one-year cancer research grants.

It would be fantastic if you could sponsor me, or even better join me in a program!

Thank you for your support!

Fi