A lake to challenge
September 10th, 2007Swimmer Karen Gaffney of Portland takes on Lake Tahoe and its wide, deep waters
Definitely worth reading. Thought-provoking feature about Karen Gaffney’s upcoming Lake Tahoe swim. Competitive swimmer Gaffney, 29, will attempt to go 12 miles across the nation’s second-deepest lake, challenging fatigue, cold and boredom. Six years ago, Gaffney made history when she became the first person with Down syndrome to swim the English Channel on a relay team.
The reporter links Gaffney’s swim with the recently released medical guidelines that call for all pregnant women to be offered screening for Down syndrome, and notes that 90 percent of pregnancies in which Down syndrome is diagnosed end in abortion. Karen Gaffney’s mother Barbara is asked whether she had prenatal testing before Karen was born.
When not competing, Karen Gaffney has become a national advocate and public speaker on behalf of the rights of people with disabilities. Her father, Jim, says he’ll be proud of his daughter regardless of the outcome of this swim. “She doesn’t have to prove anything,” he says.
Her foundation can be found here.
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on Monday, September 10th, 2007 at 7:22 am and is filed under Down syndrome, exercise/sports.
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