Swim Lessons; Ten Secrets for Making Any Dream Come True

[x], 203, [3] pages. Appendix. Inscribed by the author on the half-title page. Nick made national headlines when he became the first person in 70 years to swim the length of the Mississippi River and the first to swim it with the locks and dams of its "modern" form. His historic swim began in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and took the first of more than a million strokes that pushed me down the longest river in North America. After swimming 1,550 miles, I completed my dream four months later in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I didn't just do his swim for the challenge or the glory; but to raise money and awareness for multiple sclerosis (MS) research. My dad lives with the disease. I followed up my swim with a 10,000-mile bike ride around the perimeter of the United States, also to benefit multiple sclerosis research. I finished my ride 5 months later back home in DC. I am also the author of the award-winning book "Swim Lessons: Ten secrets for making any dream come true". From Alex Houston, who directed a documentary based on this book, He didn't know it, but his whole life, Nick Irons unconsciously wanted to do something to help his dad, who suffered from multiple sclerosis. But he grew up in a happy Oklahoma home, graduated from college, and moved to Los Angeles to break into the TV industry. In December 1995, Nick visited his parents in their new home near Washington, DC, and saw his dad taking a turn for the worse - walking with a cane. While he had been away for a year, the disease rapidly progressed from a minor inconvenience to a disabling, painful disability. On the flight back to LA, Nick saw the Mississippi River and decided, "I will swim that. For my dad." He left his dead-end PA job in LA and dedicated himself to training. Eighteen months later on June 1 1997, he stepped in the frigid Mississippi River to swim 1550 miles from Minneapolis, MN to Baton Rouge, LA. Many said, "You don't swim the Mississippi." The river was filled with hazards: dangerous commercial and recreational boat traffic, strong undercurrents, storms, and wildlife. He needed help. Halfway down, it looked like the naysayers would be right as volunteer support disappeared along the increasingly industrial waterway. Nick's only hope was a stranger from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who had a dream of his own. Swim Lessons is an intimate, funny, and inspirational story about their incredible journey, and the lessons we can all learn along the way about love, dedication, and simply enjoying the moment.…