Robyn Coleman and her support team have made the difficult decision to fully postpone the remainder of her attempt to swim the length of Okanagan Lake.
The 19-year-old stroke survivor began her bid to become the first woman to swim from Vernon to Penticton on Sunday afternoon.
Unfortunately, she was battling through some medical issues in the water and was forced to pause the swim around 24 hours after it started.
It was initially labelled as a “24-hour medical hold” by her support team, but they’ve now confirmed that the issue is serious enough to cancel Coleman’s swim for now.
“We’ve made the decision to postpone the remainder of the swim due to ongoing health concerns,” said Katie Wallace, speaking on behalf of Coleman and the family. “Robyn has continued to experience seizures even while out of the water and fully rested.”
While the swim certainly didn’t go how Coleman was hoping, her efforts to raise crucial funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation have exceeded expectations.
The young woman’s fundraiser is approaching $18,000 raised and Wallace says she’s “achieved something remarkable” by shining a powerful light on stroke recovery and awareness.
“Her family and the entire team are immensely proud of her strength, courage, and determination – especially her bravery in returning to the water after facing serious medical challenges,” noted Wallace.
“We know that Robyn can and will complete this record in the future. We will revisit plans to tackle the record once her health has been thoroughly addressed.”
If you’d like to make a contribution to Coleman’s fundraising efforts, click this link.
