October is officially Breast Cancer Month dedicated to increasing awareness, early detection and treatment of this disease and helping the cause is Christophe Maleau is a 12-year-old swimming prodigy who just made history as the youngest swimmer to cross the water from Saint Lucia to Martinique.
Inspired by his mum’s struggle with the disease Christophe set out determined, it took him a whole 13 hours, 50 minutes and 47 seconds, beginning from the Bay of Saint Lucia at dawn on Saturday and arriving at Sainte Anne in Martinique around 6 pm to the welcoming cheers of home.
The proud swimmer later wrote, “I held on singing songs to myself, thinking about the encouragement I received on social media. I was hungry at times during the crossing, I sometimes wanted to stop because I was tired. But when this idea crossed my mind, I told myself that I had no right. I had to continue for the cause I was defending.”
Third time’s a charm; His first challenge took place in 2017. Christophe Maleau swam 6.4 km between Anse Mitan in Trois-Îlets and la Française in Fort-de-France.
The following year he tackled the 26 kilometers between Le Diamant and Schœlcher, until his third Successful attempt.
Christophe was accompanied by his father, who followed him in a canoe alongside doctors, divers, and other family members who traveled in a separate boat, Face 2 Face reports.
“Christophe got it into his head that he wanted to help cancer patients, so he does it by swimming. It was he who ended up encouraging me. At the end, there was swell, bigger waves and of course, I was a little worried. But when he looked at me, I felt he was fine. He didn’t want to give up. It was out of the question,” his proud father said.
Maleau joins a minute elite group of swimmers who have successfully crossed the channel, including 71-year-old, two-time Masters World champion Jacques Sicot, who completed the trip at age 39 and again at 69, and French Olympic and European swimming champion Gilles Rondy, the site reports.
