Top News
Lower Keys Medical Center associates join Team Nyad to chase her extreme dreamDiana Nyad is a world renowned athlete, reporter, author and inspirational speaker. She has broke and held several world records, including the record for swimming around Manhattan Island which had stood for 45 years prior to her completing the circuit in 7 hours 57 minutes. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1986 and then the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2003.
Diana Nyad is a world renowned athlete, reporter, author and inspirational speaker. She has broken and held several world records, including the record for swimming around Manhattan Island which had stood for 45 years prior to her completing the circuit in 7 hours 57 minutes. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1986 and then the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2003.
In 2010, she plans to complete a task left undone for 30 years and will have the support and assistance of some Lower Keys Medical Center (LKMC) associates. She will once again attempt to swim from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida. Her last attempt was stopped short of the goal due to weather and high seas. She did go on to complete a record setting 102.5 mile swim from the Bahamas to Florida which still stands as the long distance swimming record which has yet to be broken. That was in 1979. At age 60, Ms. Nyad took a major training step by entering the waters of the Florida Straights on July 10, 2010. Without the protection of a Shark Cage, she swam continuously for 24 hours. VIDEO: http://www.vimeo.com/13525113
As diverse as Ms. Nyad herself, associates at LKMC showed their skills outside the clinical environment to help in the successful completion of the swim. Mrs. Melissa Harris, RN at LKMC also holds a 100 ton Coast Guard Masters License. Along with her husband Rob, they utilized their 80' Sport Yacht (Easy Rider) and 30' Sport Fisher (Got TA Go) in concert with another 23' Center Console (Cool Seas), 2 Kayaks and a Safety Diver to oversee the efforts of their swimmer.
In addition to coordinating the personnel transfers between boats, Melissa assisted Ms. Nyad's personal physician once she stepped from the water and back aboard Easy Rider. With more than 25 members of the support team aboard 3 different boats, Melissa was also in charge of scheduling transfers, safety and boat operational procedures for personnel who had never made such a voyage. Once Diana was back aboard, Melissa was instrumental for her expertise of IV access and fluid rehydration, after which, Diana left the boat unassisted.
Since Ms. Nyad is making this swim without a Shark Cage, she is using the latest technology in Shark Repellents to keep the toothy critters at bay. This comes in the form of a "electronic shield" that is carried aboard the escort kayaks. They must maintain a distance no greater than 4 meters from the swimmer to be effective against curious sharks. As a back-up, a Rescue/Shark Diver must be ready to act at a moments notice. Chris Gray, a Surgical Technician at LKMC is also a Master Diver with duel rescue certification. He stepped up to fill this critical spot for the Team and to help ensure Diana's safety once she left the boat.
There were more than 20 transfers of personnel between boats and 12 shift changes for the Kayak crews during the 24 hour swim. Randy Budden, RT(R), (CV), RCIS from the Special Procedures Lab at LKMC is a avid boater and was instrumental in the safe conduct of transfers and stowing small boats and gear while underway. While not conducting transfers, Randy acted as a member of the ships crew standing wheel and lookout watches.
Also taking part of the event was a reporting crew from CNN. They periodically transmitted live reports from the deck of Easy Rider and kept CNN headquarters up-to-date with positional information for a real-time tracking chart being maintained on-line so that viewers could keep track of Ms Nyad's progress during the journey. When she conducts the Havana swim, they will be back aboard to keep everyone informed via live satellite feeds.
If you are interested in knowing what your LKMC medical professionals are doing to help, or are just interested in finding out more about the journey, you can follow along at www.diananyad.com or search for Diana Nyad on Facebook. She is expecting to have State Department clearance as soon as early August. Team Nyad is already making preparations for the never before completed swim and will be standing-by at a moments notice.