Théo Curin, make your difference your strength

When he was six, Théo Curin woke up with a terrible headache, as well as pains in his back and neck. His parents rushed him to hospital, where shortly afterwards he was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. The doctors were forced to make the difficult decision to amputate all four limbs to save his life.

Before his illness, Théo had a phobia of water. Since his release from hospital however, he found that water was where he felt strongest, free of his prosthetics and wheelchair. This feeling of freedom and lightness contributed to his remarkably quick rise to the top of para-swimming. In 2016, he participated in the Rio Paralympic Games, becoming the youngest member of the French delegation. In 2017, he became double world runner-up. Theo continues to defy the odds, swimming unaided across Lake Titicaca. Last November, he became the first disabled athlete to complete the 57km Santa Fe-Coronda in Argentina, one of the three toughest open-water races in the world.

“Without this illness I’d never have realized the importance of living life to the full.”