A woman who was taught to walk and swim again after suffering life-threatening injuries in a horrific crash abroad has embarked on her latest inspirational challenge.
Back in September 2016, Zara Dyer - then aged 29 - was fighting for her life in hospital in America.
Miss Dyer, originally from Carlton Colville in Lowestoft, was working in the Caribbean as a scuba diving instructor, when she made her way back to her home in Grand Cayman and suffered a freak seizure at the wheel of her car that led to a horrific crash into a wall.
She suffered long-term brain damage, with her injuries - which included a broken neck, complete paralysis on her right hand side, fractures to her shoulder, back and upper part of her body and six bleeds on the brain - described as so severe that her family were told they should fly out immediately to see her.
But after spending more than a month in hospital abroad, and having undergone an intensive programme of treatment and rehabilitation ever since - that saw her learn to swallow, walk, talk and swim all over again - Miss Dyer has completed a series of fundraising challenges after making a remarkable recovery from her life-threatening injuries.
Her third amazing challenge is now under way in a Lowestoft swimming pool as she continues to help others.
Aiming to swim three million centimetres - the equivalent of 30km, 18.6 miles or 1200 lengths of the 25m swimming pool at Waterlane Leisure Centre - Miss Dyer is raising money for brain injury survivors and their families in recovery.
Since starting last September and swimming one kilometre each week she has already completed more than 10 sessions.
After setting up the 3 Million Steps charity with her partner, Ian Brown, to support others recovering from brain injury, the couple from Loddon firstly trekked from John O’Groats to Lands’ End.
This proved so successful that a second major fundraising event - the Side-to-Side challenge - followed.
Here the pair walked from West to East - almost 500 miles - from St David's in Pembrokeshire to Ness Point in Lowestoft.
Now Miss Dyer is continuing with her third challenge which, over the course of the next five months, will see her complete the three million centimetres swim in aid of the 3 Million Steps charity.
Miss Dyer said: "Unfortunately I and many others in similar situations have experienced having to learn to walk again.
"This is why we tackled the long-distance walking challenges in the past.
"However, not many people think about all of the other skills that are lost after a brain injury including how to float - let alone swim in water."
With the couple both qualified lifeguards and scuba diving instructors, it did not cross their minds that swimming would be a problem - until Zara returned to the pool for the first time in her recovery in 2017.
Mr Brown said: "Swimming takes an awful lot of co-ordination especially when tackling turbulent water, different sounds and basically a completely different environment."
With the help of swimming coach Emma Wallace, one of her instructors, Miss Dyer has managed to re-learn to swim over the past few years.
As the charity finds itself helping more patients - including a number from the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital to get out of hospital and back to their homes where carers can continue their rehabilitation - a fundraising target of £1,000 was set, with £300 having so far been raised.
Miss Dyer said: "We are extremely grateful to ‘Everyone Active’ for sponsoring the challenge."
To make a donation visit the charity online or via its JustGiving page.
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