A Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) ambassador, Christine Roos (32) will be braving the gruelling 33 km False Bay crossing, dubbed the “Everest of Cape Swims”, next week to raise funds and awareness for the registry.
The swim, often compared to the world-famous English Channel Crossing due to its level of difficulty, has been successfully completed by only 14 swimmers.
On Monday, 20 November, Roos will brave the icy waters between Millers Point and Rooi Els, which is estimated to take between 10 ½ and 12 hours to complete.
Swimmers are confronted with several elements during the open water swim including strong and unpredictable currents, icy winds, and inconsistent water temperatures. The False Bay coast is also known for Great White sharks.
Roos, who hails from Benoni and completed the Blouberg Crossing (Big Bay to Robben Island) in 2021, says the False Bay crossing is probably the biggest challenge she has ever faced, but that she trained hard for it over the last two years. She aims to raise at least R50 000 towards the registry’s Patient Assistance Programme.
“The enormity of this challenge is not lost on me, but it is nothing compared to what patients and their families have to endure to find a matching donor as a result of a life-threatening blood disorder, and added to this, not being able to afford the treatment.”
Kamiel Singh, Head of Sustainability and National Operations for the SABMR says Roos’ dedication as an ambassador is inspiring.
“Christine has been a supporter of the SABMR for many years, her commitment to the registry is really awe inspiring. She is facing potentially the hardest swim of her life to help us save lives through raising funds and awareness. We cannot thank her enough for her invaluable contributions to the registry and wish her the best of luck.”
Roos has been training in swimming pools and dams around Gauteng and the Vaal River and recently completed an ocean swim camp in Langebaan on the Cape West Coast.
In preparation for the icy False Bay coast, she trained outdoors in winter in water temperatures of between 11 and 14ºC. The water temperature for the upcoming swim needs to be a minimum of 16 ºC for the event to commence.
Roos says, she has done all she can to ensure that she is ready and hopes that taking on this very difficult swim will inspire others to donate and sign up to the registry to potentially save someone’s life.
“This swim has been on my bucket list for some time. It is overwhelming and I often have doubts. However, it is in these moments that I really push myself to focus on the training and why I am doing this. I feel the bigger impact I make, the more I can encourage people to sign up to become donors and change the course of someone’s life.
The swim window for the False Bay crossing is from the 19th to the 27th of November 2023. There are a few factors that need to be considered before the event goes ahead such as weather conditions and water temperature.
A BackaBuddy crowd funding champion page has been set up to raise funds for the SABMR’s Patient Assistance Programme and will run until the 10th of December to reach the target. Show your support by donating here https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/everest-of-cape-swims
Corporates and individuals who would like to pledge their support with a financial contribution per kilometre completed can do so via Backabuddy or via the payment options at https://sabmr.co.za/donate/.
If you are not able to donate financially, please consider registering as a stem cell donor via www.sabmr.co.za or do your bit by spreading awareness by liking and sharing the SABMR’s social media content on @sabonemreg on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Issued by Meropa Communications on behalf of the SA Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR). For further information, please contact Unity Ruiters from Meropa Communications on 082 392 6006 or email: unityr@meropa.co.za
CAPTION: Christine Roos taking on the Blouberg Crossing in April 2021 to raise funds for the SABMR. She will attempt to raise R50 000 for the registry by taking on the gruelling False Bay Crossing which is estimated to take around 12-hours to complete next week.
CAPTION: Christine Roos recently completed an ocean swim training camp in Langebaan on the Cape West coast to prepare for her swim.