Tom Pembroke, who is one of our current law students, will next month be attempting a double crossing of the English Channel in freezing cold temperatures. We recently caught up with Tom in order to find out why he would attempt something as difficult and painful as this swim in icy temperatures.
This is not the first time Tom has undertaken a swim of this nature- but hopefully this time he will be better organised. You see when Tom turned up to swim the English channel at the docks of Dover in 2013 the sea captain asked him the following questions:
- Do you have a passport?
- Do you have swimming lights?
- Do you have a coach?
Tom said no to each of these questions, but was still undeterred. After 15 hours Tom completed the swim- just- you see Tom became extremely hypothermic during the swim and he lacerated his throat as a result of all the salt water he swallowed.
Tom swimming at Dumaresq Dam
Since 2013 Tom has swum the Northern Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 2015 as well as completing the Catalina Island and Molakai Swim’s last year. On each of these occasions Tom has used these swims to raise money for charities or people in need. In 2013 for his first English Channel swim Tom raised money for SIDS and Kids- which is a charity that raises money to help families who have lost a baby due to sudden infant death syndrome. This cause is close to Tom’s heart as he lost his younger sister Kate to SIDS when he was only three years old.
Like the rest of us Tom is not perfect and has been known to party too hard- but Tom uses these treacherous swims to push himself and help others. In each of these swims Tom has pushed himself to the limit by battling extreme cold and tough currents, getting severely sunburnt in the Hawaiian sun, facing sharks in California and enduring painful jellyfish stings all over the world.
Tom after one of his long and cold swims
According to Tom this pain and self-sacrifice is nothing compared to what many others have to cope with?
Just like he has done in his previous swims Tom is using the double crossing of the English Channel swim to raise money for Sara Lynch and her family. When Sara was only 10 years old she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In order to treat this disease Sara has undergone chemotherapy, endured 16 operations as well as being subjected to dozens of lumber punctures and bone marrow tests. Luckily Sara has a very loving family who have joined her in her battle every step of the way. As you can imagine this journey has not been easy for the Lynch family who have faced financial, psychological and logistical challenges.
Sara at Christmas time
Sara undertaking treatment
Tom hopes to take the edge off some of these pressures by raising money for the Lynch family. To help support this worthy cause please visit the following link:
http://www.gofundme.com/sara-lynch-our-hero?lang=en-AU
We commend you for all your efforts Tom! We also hope Sara continues to enjoy good health, happiness and a long life!
