Meet the 20-year-old swimming from Kelowna to Penticton for Alzheimer’s analysis

With her swim cap on, Issie Grecoff plunges deep into Okanagan Lake, her entrance crawl seamless as she slices by the waves and glides alongside the water.

Minutes go by and she or he continues to be going, with no indicators of slowing down.

This is all a part of coaching for the 20-year-old. On Aug. 19, she is going to set out on a for much longer journey, trying to swim 55 kilometres from Kelowna to Penticton to boost cash for Alzheimer’s analysis. 

For Grecoff, the trigger is private after watching her grandmother, Joan Wickett, battle the illness. She handed away in 2022 at age 79.  

“It was hard to see her in her last few years, not being able to have a conversation with her and not really getting that proper goodbye, and I think it was really hard on my grandpa because he was the one taking care of her for so long and seeing her get progressively worse,” stated Grecoff. 

Alzheimer’s illness impacts roughly 85,000 individuals in British Columbia, based on the Alzheimer Society of B.C. 

“We know that more females live with dementia than males and it is not just because women tend to live longer, there are some other pieces going on there as well. And here in B.C., we know that by 2050, the number of Indigenous people diagnosed with dementia will grow considerably, and one in three people who  are living with dementia will be of Asian descent,” stated Dr. Heather Cooke with the Alzheimer Society of B.C.

Grecoff stated a lot of her summers had been spent swimming in Okanagan Lake. Her household has an extended, storied historical past in Penticton. 

“My grandpa and grandma met at Pen High (Penticton Secondary) and they both went to UBC. My grandma was a nurse and my grandpa was an anesthesiologist, and they raised their three kids in Penticton,” she stated. 

Grecoff spent most of her highschool years within the Peach City. She swam for the native KISU Swim Club, incomes quite a few spots at provincials, and has positioned within the high 5 on the Far Western Championships in California.

Like her grandparents, she graduated Penticton Secondary School and is now a University of Waterloo varsity swimmer.

Issie will begin her swim from Kelowna at round 9 p.m. on Aug. 19. She is anticipated to endure the chilly water and waves for 20 to 22 hours, arriving in Penticton on the peach on the seashore the subsequent night.

While that will appear exhausting for most individuals, she stated swimming lengthy distances, no less than for her, feels releasing and is extra of psychological problem than a bodily one.  

“I mean, you kind of get into kind of a rhythm. You get into a zone. I also have my headphones so I am listening to music, so it definitely helps,” she stated.  

Some reinforcements will likely be introduced in to maintain her protected within the water. A security boat will likely be supplied by Penticton Boat Club and Rentals and her household will likely be by her aspect.

“We are going to have a second boat just in case something happens to the first boat, shadowing us and probably a bunch of paddle boarders right beside Issie. It is not a situation where you can do it laissez faire. There has to be a certain amount of security that has to be around Issie for the entire event,” stated Michael Grecoff, Issie’s father. 

People eager to help Issie on her journey can go to her website. All funds she raises will profit the Alzheimer Society of Canada.