North Devon woman’s epic swim challenge to beat condition that blights lives

A North Devon personal trainer is bidding to swim to France and back during March to raise awareness of a debilitating condition that blights the lives of more than 1.5 million women in the UK.

Hannah Wain won’t be heading to the channel coast but has set a goal of swimming 68 kilometres at Tarka Leisure Centre in Barnstaple to raise money for the Endometriosis UK charity.

The 25-year-old has lived with endometriosis throughout her life, as do one in 10 women in the UK and she wanted to combine her swim challenge with Endometriosis Awareness Month throughout March.

The condition sees cells similar to those in the lining of the womb grow in other parts of the body and it can cause a range of debilitating symptoms that badly affect peoples’ daily lives including fatigue, pelvic and period pain and fertility issues.

Above: Personal trainer Hannah Wain has lived with the debilitating effects of endometriosis for most of her life and wants to raise better awareness of the condition and women’s health. Credit: http://www.kamilr.com

Hannah, who works at The Gym in Braunton as a personal trainer, has been completing her epic swim challenge at Tarka during weekends, swimming up to three hours at a time with no breaks.

She originally set a 34km target – the equivalent of swimming the English Channel – but is now aiming to double that and has raised £1,600 so far via her GoFundMe page.

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Hannah was diagnosed with endometriosis in July last year via laparoscopy (keyhole surgery), but she said this followed seven years of “daily suffering and pain” as well as being misdiagnosed twice and a long fight to be taken seriously.

Following her surgery she was unable to properly exercise for six months, so the swim challenge was a big step to take on.

Above: Hannah is pleased she has been able to take on the swim challenge after recovering from her surgery last year. Credit: Salted Lens Photography

Hannah said: “It has been quite difficult - each session is roughly two-and-a-half to three hours in the pool of continuous swimming.

“I grew up competing in swimming and modern pentathlon so I am accustom to long pool hours, but I haven't swam anywhere close to this intensity for years, especially since battling my own endometriosis.

“Being able to swim these great distances now is a credit to the resilience I have been able to embody after finally receiving my diagnosis - prior to that, I spent years in pain, confused and blaming myself - unable to swim, exercise, or do anything really.”

“This challenge is more than just raising money for Endometriosis UK, but is a celebration of movement, empowerment and femininity.

“But also the importance of improving diagnostic timelines for women suffering with chronic conditions - although the support post-diagnosis is still so very poor, the mere knowledge of what was happening in my body gave me the confidence to undertake this challenge.”

This September Hannah will start a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Global Women’s Health via the University of Oxford, studying remotely and she plans to make her research dissertation about endometriosis.

She said: “Women's health conditions, with endometriosis as a critical case study, have been significantly under-funded and under-researched.

“Women have largely been absent from clinical trials for decades, medical professionals lack effective training on female health conditions, and current care pathways and clinical guidelines are embedding diagnostic delays, increased symptom intensity and poor quality of life for millions of women in the UK and beyond.”

If you would like to sponsor Hannah as she completes her 68km swim challenge throughout March, you can do so at https://www.gofundme.com/f/9ynfr5-endometriosis-awareness-month

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