Severn swimmer in hospital after swimming 200 miles for charity
Swimming Shropshire nurse Melissa Compton has been admitted to hospital after falling ill during her River Severn challenge.
The Shrewsbury nurse was taken to hospital, in Gloucester, on Sunday after being taken ill resulting in her suffering the effects of dehydration.
She is attempting to complete the whole length of the 220-mile river in aid of the charity the charity Versus Arthritis.
Melissa, aged 39, who works for The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (Sath), says: "I think I may have picked up something from being in the river. I began to feel sick. I was on the river bank when I started throwing up.
"I am very dehydrated so I've been put on a drip to resolve it.
"I'm not going to let this put me off, I'm only 20 miles from the end and I'm going to finish it. As soon as they discharge me I'll be in the water. I'm hoping that I will be able to finish by this weekend. I arrived in Gloucester with my team on Saturday."
So far she has battled swollen waters, rain and less than summery conditions in her bid to swim from the source at a Mid Wales mountain to the Bristol Channel.
She took up the challenge after after a knee injury left her walking with a stick and needing stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis which the charity funded. She decided to do the swim as a thank you to Versus Arthritis.
Last year she swam 22 miles across the English Channel as part of a relay team of four for a charity effort.
To sponsor Melissa's swim, visit bit.ly/31QUWmU.
