Blind man aims to swim across Georgia Strait to raise money for guide dogs

A B.C. swimmer who has slowly been losing his vision and is now blind is preparing to swim the Strait of Georgia with the goal of raising money for guide dogs.

It’s a cause close to his heart: Scott Rees’ guide dog Kaleb has taken him to the water’s edge on countless training days.

The former competitive swimmer has made a comeback and is now preparing to swim daunting crossing this July to raise money for Canadian Guide Dogs For the Blind.

“It’s 30 kilometres if you swim straight. I don’t swim very straight,” Rees told Global’s This is BC.

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A headset in his cap will help him navigate the 11 hour swim — with audio support and directions from Greg Wenger, who follows Rees in a kayak.

A recessive genetic condition has caused Rees to slowly lose his vision over the last 20 years.

“I’ve gone from a relatively normal childhood from doing sports and things to hanging up the car keys, to stopping running, stopping biking,” Rees said.

But he’s found ways to get back to doing the things he loves with support from family and friends. And his Golden Lab Kaleb has really changed his life.

“To lose his ability to do certain things has been really hard, but having Kaleb has brought back a lot of that for him,” Rees’ wife Alexandra MacCarthy explained.

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The last few years have been incredibly difficult.

“I don’t know what my kids look like, and my wife, I haven’t been able to see her face for the last few years,” Rees said.

“Luckily for those who have been around for a long time, I’m able to keep them in my memory.”

The goal is to raise $30,000 in a huge test of endurance, for an athlete who’s finding ways to overcome his life’s biggest challenge.

“Scott is the type of guy you’re lucky to be around. He’s an inspiring person,” Rees’ friend Connor McKenna said.

“It changes what people think is possible. It’s changed what I think is possible.”

If you want to support Rees’ swim challenge, you can make a donation at Swimthestrait.ca.

To contact Jay Durant with a story idea for This is BC, email him details and contact information at thisisbc@globalnews.ca