Stephen Attard
From a wheelchair to swimming the seas
Published 12 October, 2008, 11:57
Meet Stephen Attard. A Maltese swimmer, he was seriously injured in a traffic accident 23 years ago. His extensive head injuries left him disabled, and he has had to use a wheelchair ever since.
Life is not easy for Stephen. He often suffers from memory loss as a result of his brain injuries and has to use a walking stick.
Speaking to RT from his home, a resolute Stephen speaks of his love for the sea since childhood. “Before my accident, I was always a good swimmer, and I was also a member of the Barracudas water polo team,” he said.
Although Stephen cannot play any sport on land because he lacks the right co-ordination between his body and his brain, his strong muscles enable him to embrace his love of the sea.
“Fortunately, my disability still permitted me to have good mobility in the sea, where I can move about freely, as opposed to my restrictions on land. So I wanted to show that disabled people can still do things which 'normal' people find difficulty in doing,” he said.
In July, Stephen swam the eight kilometre channel between Malta and Gozo in seven hours. He was accompanied by his swimming coach and his 68-year-old mother, Margaret, who has been supporting her son all along.
During his swim, Stephen had to overcome the strong sea currents, which would be difficult even for an able bodied person.
He said: “Even the professional swimmer accompanying me said they were particularly strong on the day, though the sea was relatively calm on the surface.”
“So our swim ended well to the west of our designated landing spot, but we did swim from Gozo to Malta! One should never give up.”
This is Stephen’s third swim in aid of the LAND group, which promotes independent living for physically disabled people in Malta. However, this was the most daring one so far.
Charlot Zahra for RT
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