{"id":176375,"date":"2025-06-11T18:49:19","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T18:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/176375\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T18:49:19","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T18:49:19","slug":"world-record-swimmer-takes-on-swiss-lake-challenge-in-honour-of-sons-rare-neurological-condition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/176375\/","title":{"rendered":"World-record swimmer takes on Swiss lake challenge in honour of son’s rare neurological condition"},"content":{"rendered":"

A British father is set to swim the ten largest lakes in Switzerland, including an attempt to break his own world-record, to raise awareness of a devastating childhood neurological condition<\/a> that changed his son’s life at just two years old.<\/p>\n

Neil Gilson (pictured above and below), 40, from North Devon<\/a>, was once ranked second in Britain for the 1500m freestyle.<\/p>\n

A seasoned open water endurance swimmer, he made headlines after completing a 22-hour, nine minute, 72km world-record swim across Lac Leman on July 17, 2024.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now, he’s taking on an even bigger feat: swimming ten great Swiss lakes over the next two years to raise funds and awareness for The Brain Charity and the Pans Pandas UK; the latter of which he has already raised \u00a317,920.75 for through past fundraising efforts.<\/p>\n

The challenge is personal. Neil’s son, Jack (pictured above), now nine, was just two when he suddenly developed obsessive-compulsive behaviours, aggression, and regression following repeated infections.<\/p>\n

Jack was later diagnosed with PANDAS, a rare disorder, where a misdirected immune response mistakenly attacks the brain following common infections like strep throat or tonsillitis.<\/p>\n

\"\"FAMILY TIME: Neil and Jack with the rest of their family<\/p>\n

Neil said: “It happened almost overnight, he went from a happy toddler to someone we couldn’t recognise.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw countless doctors and got nowhere. I felt helpless.”<\/p>\n

After years of misdiagnosis, Neil’s wife, Lucy, discovered a segment on This Morning describing the condition, which led to a breakthrough diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

With treatment, Jack’s symptoms dramatically improved – but his condition remains long-term and complex.<\/p>\n

Neil continued: “I want to turn that helplessness into something powerful.<\/p>\n

\u201cSwimming is what I know, and I want to use it to bring visibility to a condition that’s still so misunderstood.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

PANS (Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) and PANDAS (Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) are autoimmune disorders that can cause the sudden onset of severe neuropsychiatric symptoms in children, including OCD, anxiety, tics, and behavioural changes.<\/p>\n

Awareness and early diagnosis are key to treatment, but many families, like Neil’s, struggle for years before getting help.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Neil connected with The Brain Charity through the PANS PANDAS community.<\/p>\n

He explained: “They’re supporting people with complex, invisible neurological conditions – that’s exactly what Jack has.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis swim is about raising awareness, supporting these charities, and helping other families find answers faster.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Tui Benjamin Thorp, Head of Communications and Fundraising at The Brain Charity, said: \u201cNeil\u2019s incredible challenge is testament to his love for his son Jack and his experience of the devastating impact neurological conditions can have.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are with him not just every step, but for every stroke and kick of the way, and are so grateful to him for raising much-needed funds for The Brain Charity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Swiss lake challenge will culminate in a second swim across Lake Geneva, potentially breaking Neil’s own world record.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Louise Holgate, Fundraising Lead at PANS PANDAS UK, added: \u201cWe\u2019re so grateful to Neil for choosing to take on this monumental challenge for PANS PANDAS UK and The Brain Charity.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a steadfast supporter of our mission, Neil\u2019s remarkable swim across Lake Geneva in under 24 hours last year was more than impressive; it shone as a beacon of hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt elevated awareness of these conditions among the public and healthcare professionals, igniting those transformative \u2018light bulb\u2019 moments for families.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Obsessed<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t wait to follow Neil along this new incredible journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can donate to Neil at: https:\/\/www.givewheel.com\/fundraising\/8194\/legend_of_the_lakes\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Location: North Devon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A British father is set to swim the ten largest lakes in Switzerland, including an attempt to break…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":176376,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[748,393,4884,12893,179,72867,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-176375","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-inyourarea-community","12":"tag-liverpool","13":"tag-north-devon-journal","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114666233683254419","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}