By Pam Fedack, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Source: Kenora Miner & News
For Chad English, the idea started years ago as a conversation between friends.
Now, it’s becoming a reality.
Beginning around July 9, the Kenora father plans to swim roughly 100 kilometres across Lake of the Woods from Sable Island to Kenora as part of a fundraising effort inspired by his daughter, Sophie, and the medical teams and community organizations who have supported their family over the years.
The event, called Chad’s Big Swim — Powered by Sophie, is expected to last more than a week, weather permitting.
“It’s going to consist of 10 marathon swims of 10 kilometres each day until I finish,” English recently told the Miner and News.
The swim is raising money for several organizations, including SickKids, Shriners Hospitals for Children, the Dr. Beveridge Kenora Community Fund, the Jennifer Schott Scholarship Fund and the Lake of the Woods Community Foundation.
English said the inspiration behind the swim is deeply personal.
Sophie was born prematurely at 32 weeks and required immediate heart surgery at SickKids Hospital in Toronto shortly after birth. At age one, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and later underwent multiple surgeries through Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Today, the 15-year-old is thriving as a competitive para swimmer and by extension, a newly minted Canadian record holder.
“My daughter is the inspiration behind the swim and giving back to our community here in Kenora and the community that’s helped her out since she was born 15 years ago,” English said.
English said the care and support their family received over the years extended far beyond hospitals alone.
“None of that would have been possible without the care and support we received, not just from SickKids and Shriners, but from a number of people and folks in and around the Kenora and Winnipeg area,” he said.
While English has swum recreationally for years, he acknowledged this will be his first attempt at long-distance marathon swimming.
The swim is raising money for several organizations, including SickKids, Shriners Hospitals for Children, the Dr. Beveridge Kenora Community Fund, the Jennifer Schott Scholarship Fund and the Lake of the Woods Community Foundation.
English said the inspiration behind the swim is deeply personal.
Sophie was born prematurely at 32 weeks and required immediate heart surgery at SickKids Hospital in Toronto shortly after birth. At age one, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and later underwent multiple surgeries through Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Today, the 15-year-old is thriving as a competitive para swimmer and by extension, a newly minted Canadian record holder.
“My daughter is the inspiration behind the swim and giving back to our community here in Kenora and the community that’s helped her out since she was born 15 years ago,” English said.
English said the care and support their family received over the years extended far beyond hospitals alone.
“None of that would have been possible without the care and support we received, not just from SickKids and Shriners, but from a number of people and folks in and around the Kenora and Winnipeg area,” he said.
While English has swum recreationally for years, he acknowledged this will be his first attempt at long-distance marathon swimming.
“It’s been an idea I’ve had with a good friend of mine for about seven or eight years,” he said. “And it just so happened that this year was the year to do it.”
English credited the Kenora Masters swim club and its coaches for helping prepare him for the challenge through regular training sessions and long-distance swims.
“It’s a commitment of time, and it’s a lot of energy,” English said. “But at the end of the line, it just brings me so much joy to know that we’re going to be able to give back.”
Despite the physical demands of swimming across one of the world’s largest lakes, English said fear has never really entered the equation.
“We’ve spent so much time at Shriners Hospital, and we’ve spent so much time at SickKids,” he said. “Every single one of those strokes in the water, it’s nothing in comparison to what some of our community members and our neighbours are going through.”
Instead, he views the swim as a community effort.
“It’s maybe me doing the swim, but it’s the whole community that’s kind of making the waves together,” English said.
The fundraiser has already surpassed its initial $10,000 goal through online donations and corporate sponsorships, though English said organizers are continuing to raise money ahead of the swim.
“The sky’s the limit,” he said. “The more we raise, the better it’ll be for the recipients of the funds.”
Donations will be split evenly among the five organizations involved, with English saying transparency will remain a priority throughout the fundraiser.
“At the end of the swim, once the fundraising is complete, there’ll be a number of Facebook posts with the total amounts and where the money was donated,” he said.
Sophie, meanwhile, said watching her father take on the challenge has been emotional.
“I think it’s a great idea because I wouldn’t be anywhere near close to where I am now without any of those services I got,” she said.
She has also helped choose the fundraiser’s name and organizations receiving donations, and plans to join her father in the water for part of the swim.
The family hopes to finish the journey together at Coney Island in Kenora, where organizers are planning a community celebration once the swim concludes.
Until then, English said the focus remains on training, fundraising and preparing for the challenge ahead.
“There can’t be any fear,” he said. “I have the opportunity to jump in the water and swim until it’s done and prove we can all come together as a team and make something happen and give back to where we need to give back.”
(Photo by Pam Fedack: Chad English, along with his daughter Sophie)
