To say that 20-year-old Alexandre Grant understands perseverance is an understatement. He’s a career swimmer, and the truth is, he’s just downright stubborn.
“We sorta have no choice! That’s how we’re bred,” he laughs.
It’s because of that stubbornness that he was able to participate in this weekend’s annual swim meet at the Pointe Claire Aquatic Centre, participating in the 50-, 100- and 200-metre freestyle events. This year’s 50th AA – AAA Pointe Claire Provincial Invitational has brought together more than 600 swimmers from across the country, ages 11 and up.
“It’s like my favourite meet of the year,” says 23-year-old swimmer Spencer Bougie, one of the older swimmers at the meet, “because it’s short course in the morning and long course at night.”
Grant was one of 166 swimmers from Pointe Claire. But he almost didn’t make it because of something that happened to him last spring.
“I went from being an elite athlete to being almost completely paralyzed in a matter of weeks.”
While in the U.S. at a swim meet, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome, after a bout of the flu. It’s a rare autoimmune disease that affects the peripheral nervous system.
“I couldn’t stand on my own, I couldn’t lift my arms up, I could barely move my fingers,” he remembers.
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The condition lasted for almost two months. When doctors told him he wouldn’t be able to swim for at least a year, he had just one answer, he says.
“Honestly, I said, ‘Yeah, right!'”
So what he did after he finished treatment surprised everybody.
“The day I got out of the hospital, the first thing I did, I came straight from the hospital to here and got in the water!”
He spent the summer in the gym rebuilding muscle mass, and by September, he was back to swimming full-time. He says this meet is a good way for him to find out just how strong he is.
“I knew, I knew, I knew I was gonna get back in the pool, no matter how long it took.”
But he couldn’t do it alone.
“Determination, passion for the sport, help from family and friends — that’s what really got me through this challenge.
He’s focused on increasing his ranking nationally, but for now, he’s just grateful.
“I’m really thankful for my swimming, for giving me the strength that I have today,” he said.
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