Senior swimmer Diana Nyad isn’t planning on letting anything stop her this time—not jellyfish stings, storms or hypothermia. In her fourth attempt to make the 103 mile swim across the Florida Straights without a shark cage, Diana Nyad is out to prove that it’s never too late to chase your dream.
The endurance swimmer turns 63 on Wednesday. She’s expected to arrive in Florida some time Tuesday, despite being slowed down and pulled off course by storms. Her last attempt at the effort was thwarted by toxic jellyfish stings. She was 28 years old when she first attempted the swim. Diana Nyad is nothing if not persistent in her desire to make the history.
A CNN Health article sums up Ms. Nyad’s indomitable spirit:
In her 60s, she says, she still feels “vital (and) powerful” — and definitely “not old.” A successful swim ideally will inspire people her age and older not to let their age hinder them, Nyad said.
“When I walk up on that shore in Florida, I want millions of those AARP sisters and brothers to look at me and say, ‘I’m going to go write that novel I thought it was too late to do. I’m going to go work in Africa on that farm that those people need help at. I’m going to adopt a child. It’s not too late, I can still live my dreams,'” she said.
Read about the swim at Diana Nyad’s blog.
Ed. note: At 742am EDT Diana was pulled from the water when a doctor determined that another jellyfish sting could prove life-threatening. She swam 67 nautical miles for over 40 hours before she was forced out of the water. We at Caregiverlist.com salute Ms. Nyad and her spirit. She continues to inspire us all.
DianaNyad, AARP, AgingWell
