I’m aiming to be the first person with cystic fibrosis to swim all 13 lakes in the Lake District

Adam Ball, from South Shields, has set himself the challenge of swimming all 13 publicly accessible lakes in the Lake District in an effort to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

The 30-year-old believes that once he completes the challenge, which will see him swim a total of 71km, he will be the first person with cystic fibrosis (CF) to do so.

CF is a genetic condition that causes sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system- affecting around 11,000 people across the UK.

Adam has told the Shields Gazette what it is like to live with the illness and explained where the inspiration for the challenge came from.

He said: “When you have CF, mucus essentially clogs your airways - the best way to describe it is by trying to breathe through your hand whilst it’s over your mouth.

“Because of the restriction with breathing, it makes it difficult to do everyday things, you burn more energy and you get tired easier.

“I was placed on medication in October 2020 and for me personally, it basically gives the me closest thing to a cure without actually curing it.

“Then two years, I went for a regular check up and my tests showed that my CF was getting the better of me because I’d become complacent whilst being on this drug, so I kicked things into action by taking my fitness seriously and in turn, developed a love for training.

“When I was born, my parents were told that I might not live to 30-years-old so when I turned 30 this year, I wanted to do something to celebrate that.

“Swimming essentially mimics one of the pieces of physiotherapy that I do daily so that also pushed me towards a swimming challenge as it is beneficial for my management of the illness.

“I came across someone called Danny Longman, who basically created the challenge of swimming all 13 of the lakes in the Lake District.

“To me, it is a big enough challenge to be quite daunting but at the same time, I feel like it is in reach if I really push for it and then when I complete it, I will be the first person, that I’m aware of, with cystic fibrosis to have done so.”

At the time of writing, Adam has raised £640 of his £1,000 target - something that he has expressed his surprise at.

He added: “It is surreal, I’m so grateful for everyone around me and to everyone who has donated.

“I’ve had people reach out to me who I haven’t spoken to in years to wish me well - it makes me feel like I’ve got such a good support network around me.

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“To not have even swam any lake yet and to have raised that much money whilst receiving the amount of love and support has just been amazing.

“Training is going great so far, a lot of this for me is about the journey and I’m enjoying all of the work that is going into it.

“The furthest I’ve swam so far is 7km so it is a big jump for the 18km of Windermere but I’ve got good people around me to train with both in and out of the water.

“My first swims will be on Saturday, May 10, and then I’ll start ticking the rest off over seven weekends between May and September.

“I’m looking forward to it and between now and September, it is definitely achievable to swim them all.”

You can view and donate to Adam’s fundraiser by visiting: https://www.justgiving.com/page/adam-ball-13-lakes.