My mom put me and my sisters in the water to feel comfortable, to have water safety.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
But I think one of the reasons I tend to stay in the water most of the time is I distrust the comfort.
I could float in the pool for hours, just letting the water carry me.
If I didn't swim my best, I'd think about it at school, at dinner, with my friends. It would drive me crazy.
I came to water late. I learned to swim at the age of 20.
Sometimes you meet people who can't swim. And I always think: 'Oh my God, that's extraordinary.' For me, it's always been a treat... I just feel really happy in the water.
When I was on the swim team as a kid, I used to hide out from my coach by going into the bathroom and hiding out in one of the stalls. And I would literally wrap myself in toilet paper so as not to get hypothermia.
Going out there in the water, it feels as if there's nothing wrong with me.
I just always really wanted to swim. It was always a family thing: dad obviously swam, and my sister did, too. And mum used to come along to meets. They had to drag me out of the pool - so there was never any pressure on me to swim. It was just something I loved doing.
My Mom said she learned how to swim when someone took her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. I said, 'Mom, they weren't trying to teach you how to swim.'
I was so scared of the water when I was little. I used to grab onto Mum's hand to get out of the pool. I did not even want to shower.