I have completed 3 Midmar Miles over the past 2 years, and I always exit the water with a great feeling of accomplishment - I have done something that many people will never dare to do. However, after my last mile I felt a somewhat empty feeling, as if there was no reason for me swimming the mile except to challenge myself.

This year I am honoured and excited to have been selected together with 50 other swimmers to put a meaning into swimming the 8 Mile distance. This time I am swimming for CANSA: the leading non-profit organisation fighting against cancer in South Africa. You can become a sponsor for this exceptional challenge by donating towards my swim, which will take place on 10 and 11 February 2018.

Swimming 8 Miles (12.8 km) in open water requires extreme mental and physical endurance. I am fortunate to be in good health and fitness in order to swim this distance on behalf of those who are suffering from cancer and unable to complete simple tasks that most of us take for granted every day. When I was a teenage girl my own mother had to endure treatment for breast cancer, and my only goal is to swim these 8 miles with the same strength and endurance that she exhibited during her recovery.

"A man's true wealth lies in the good he does in this world." - Muhammad