It would be 10 years since I last went swimming. That’s 1/3 of my life!

I have a list of disability and barriers which have contributed to that. Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic sleep deprivation, anxiety, rotated spine, degenerative disc disease + other spinal/rib problems, blood pressure and heart issues to name a few.

So going to a pool and dealing with the anxiety, the fear, the pain, the fear that I’ll feel worse or must deal with stigma from people…. No way is it “worth it” when I already feel like crap.

When I heard about Cérge being at Mill Park Leisure which is my local Aquatic centre, I wanted to see a bit more of what it was about. Sometimes when things are “for disability” it doesn’t resonate for me because I don’t feel like a “person with disability”. Like maybe my things aren’t “enough” for that label. After a bit of stalking, I could see that Cérge was helping a range of people with all kinds of disability, and I didn’t feel so out of place. I also liked how incognito it could be through the app, no fuss made.

Arriving at the pool I was pretty nervous . As I said… ten years.

The staff were so friendly, very friendly. I asked for them to show me around the pool and give me a rundown on what it was about. They showed me around, explained the different pools to me, offered me assistance if I needed. They gave me recommendations for going in the pool including staying hydrated due to the higher temperature pool and positioning of all support railings etc.

I felt so at ease and like they truly wanted to help, but not in a dicky way. That makes me feel useless.

I had a swim and did some knee exercises and I think swimming will be good for my spine and some other issues. I can now add this into my week and hopefully get stronger and relieve some painful symptoms.

I’m glad I was brave today and gave it a shot. It was worth it and thanks Cérge for being there to make asking for help quite empowering.

I would have gone another ten years without swimming…. Actually, I may never have gone swimming again.

Thank you, Mill Park Leisure, and thank you Cérge. Time for a dip!

Mill Park Leisure Audio Guide