A WOMAN who was inspired by her mother’s dementia diagnosis has braved the busy shipping lanes of the English Channel. 

Zoe Wilson, 57, swam 30 miles from Dover to Cap Gris-Nez, France, to raise money for the charity Dementia UK. 

The writer and her team completed the challenge on July 11 in 13 hours and 43 minutes – a remarkable achievement given she underwent surgery for a right subacromial decompression in January. 

Zoe from Poole said: “Mum is suffering from Dementia and is living her best life with the love and support of people who really care.  

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“It’s a brutal condition, but with the help and understanding of the impairment many live happy and fulfilled lives.   

“Since I was tiny, I have been encouraged (thrown) into the sea in and around the Sandbanks peninsula. I come from a family of swimmers, and I have inherited their love for the sea.  

“More folk have climbed Mount Everest than have swum the channel so once I recovered from my surgery, I wanted to do some spectacular to raise money for this amazing charity and get us closer to a cure.” 

Following her surgery, Zoe underwent a course of physiotherapy to aid her recovery and with the support of Gillian Jenkins, senior physiotherapist at The Harbour Hospital in Poole, Gillian tailored Zoe’s sessions to ensure she could return to sea swimming.   

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On Zoe’s recovery, Gillian said: “Physiotherapy is an essential part of any patient's recovery from surgery. 

“Building strength in the body’s muscles helps speed up recovery time and ensures that the healing process can take place correctly without harm to the body. 

“It was a delight to work with Zoe and I was inspired by her dedication to completing the channel swim. I wanted to do everything in my power to help her.” 

Zoe, who has raised £3,158 on her Just Giving page, added: “After my surgery in January it was touch and go as to whether I would be able to train effectively for the cross-channel challenge – let alone give it a go. 

“The exceptional support from Gillian at Circle Health Group meant that I made enough progress to do it. Without her, I would have had to delay the swim until 2025. She worked miracles on my shoulder.”