Hornchurch Cancer Survivor making a splash!

A Hornchurch cancer survivor is urging people in East London and south Essex to take the plunge and sign up for Swimathon 2023. 

Danielle Almond, 32, who has overcome breast cancer twice as well as neuroendocrine cancer in her pancreas, is aiming to swim 2.5k within one hour to raise money for Cancer Research UK and the end of life charity Marie Curie.

She is urging others to make a splash, too, by joining her in the world’s largest annual fundraising swim for the two much-loved causes. 

Swimathon takes place from 12-14 May at pools and venues across the country, including:

• Harrow Lodge Leisure Centre in Hornchurch
• Central Park Leisure in Harold Hill
• Sapphire Ice & Leisure in Romford
• Becontree Heath Leisure Centre in Dagenham
• Fullwell Cross Leisure Centre in Ilford
• Thamesmere Leisure Centre in Thamesmead
• Abbey Leisure Centre in Barking
• Chingford Leisure Centre
• The Brentwood Centre
• Basildon Sporting Village
• Wickford Swim & Fitness Centre
• Loughton Leisure Centre
• Ongar Leisure Centre in Chipping Ongar
• Waltham Abbey Leisure Centre
• Blackwater Leisure Centre in Maldon

With a variety of distances available – from 400m up to 30.9k – the sponsored event offers a challenge for swimmers young and old, new and experienced. People can participate individually or as part of a team.

Anyone who cannot make an organised session can sign up to My Swimathon, as Danielle has done. My Swimathon takes place from 28 April – 21 May and swimmers can choose a time and venue that suits them. 

Danielle was a keen swimmer in the past and has found returning to water a good way to recover, physically and mentally, after cancer treatment. 

Swimathon is one in a series of fundraising challenges she is taking on – having conquered the Surrey Three Peaks Challenge in November and with a triathlon still to come – to show her thanks for the work of charities like Cancer Research UK and Marie Curie.

Danielle was first diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2017. That diagnosis came two months after she first saw a doctor about a lump on the side of her left breast, after initially being told she would be too young for it to be cancer.

The disease was stage-three and further scans picked up a neuroendocrine tumour – a rare type of tumour that develops in cells of the neuroendocrine system, which makes hormones and releases them into the bloodstream – in her pancreas.

She said: “It literally felt like tunnel vision – everything was moving around me and I couldn’t process it. My mum was with me when I got the first diagnosis and she was in pieces. It was horrific. You’ve obviously got a million things going through your head, then you have got no choice but to deal with it. I think it was even harder for my family to have to watch.”

Danielle had injections to “bubble wrap” her pancreas whilst she underwent eight chemotherapy sessions, radiotherapy and surgery to deal with the breast cancer. 

After completing treatment towards the end of the year, she underwent an operation to remove the head of her pancreas, parts of her small bowel and bile duct, and her gallbladder, known as a Whipple procedure, in February 2018.

The complicated surgery took around 10 hours and Danielle was in hospital for two months following. She is still waiting for another operation to repair her stomach muscles. 

Over Christmas 2018, she got breast cancer again, this time in her right breast. Surgery and radiotherapy took care of that early the following year. 

While Danielle is now undergoing continual scans and will do for at least the next 10 years, she is back in the swim of things and looking forward to taking on the Swimathon challenge. 

She hopes sharing her story will inspire people across East London and south Essex to get off the starting blocks and help support charities close to her heart. 

Danielle said: “It’s been a super tough few years, definitely changed my life and there have been days when I could’ve given up, but I’ve got a really good support network of family and friends around me, and I think that’s when I used everyone else’s strength.

“Now I want to do all I can to give back to charities like Cancer Research UK and Marie Curie, and show how thankful I am to still be alive. 

“The pool is my happy place, where I can switch off, so getting back in has definitely helped me.”

Danielle is keen to emphasise that you do not need to be a super swimmer to take part in Swimathon.

She added: “Swimathon is such a fun and simple way to encourage people to dip their toe in the water and get swimming. It really doesn’t matter if you’re not the fittest or the fastest. I hope swimmers of all ages and abilities grab their caps and costumes to help thousands of families across the UK.” 

Sign up for Swimathon 2023 at swimathon.org 

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