Good morning, my dear readers. Here I am again after just a few days, ready to tell you about another chapter. I apologize if my pieces have been reaching the editorial team a bit later than usual lately, but there have been some unexpected events that left me with little free time to send them in right away.
As you already saw last year, I had some issues with my swimming companion. Sometimes she was there, sometimes she wasn't. When I competed in my last race on June 13th — which, by the way, was Saint Anthony's Day, and I'm grateful to him because he was close to me that day — I felt a bit insecure, since I was weighing up the whole year. And since last year I was often absent because of this issue with the companions, I didn't feel 100% sure I could make it.
But then I told myself: «Okay, I'll try. Even if I come in second or third, what matters is taking part.» What I've always told you is that the important thing is to have fun. And in those two races, I actually came in first. My efforts were huge, and so was the backache that followed! But I was thrilled to end the year on a high note.
I'm telling you this because I was already coming off a wonderful experience with the 12-hour swim, and as I've always said, swimming is essential for me because it lets me express myself. I truly hope, with all my heart, that the obstacles that came up this year can somehow be resolved next year. I want to keep getting stronger, and who knows, maybe one day I'll join a team where I can make even more friends and challenge myself further. I want to carry my dream even higher, because we've always said that our disability must never stop us — we must always look beyond it.
Why am I telling you this? Because so often we feel set aside... a bit like what happened to me, right? But I keep on dreaming. Dreams often help us keep going. I dream of reaching competitive level, I won't hide it from you! And I hope this year marks a turning point. I hope that this year, which is just beginning, I can resolve all my issues with the companions and reach that competitive level.
I don't know how much I can truly believe in it, because I don't want to give myself false hope, but I want to keep believing — partly for myself, and partly so that one day I can say I made a dream come true. In any case, thank you all, and I'll keep you updated. In my next piece, I'll tell you how my vacation went. The message I want to leave you with now is: never lose hope.