Success at Swimming

Konrad Euler, 66, finishes the recent 2.4 mile swim at Pass-a-Grille Florida despite having a left leg that is 5" shorter than the right due to a childhood illness. Konrad spent four years hospitalized in a full body cast and, later, leg braces. All because of a misdiagnosed injury. Konrad fell one day and scraped his left knee, which his mother treated with iodine. Two days later the knee began to swell. He was taken to a children's hospital and diagnosed with bone tuberculosis, which in 1938 was not well understood.

He was put in a body cast with his hands and feet tied to the sides of the bed, and the injury periodically cleaned. They wanted to keep him immobile to prevent the disease from spreading. Only able to move his head, he would look out the window to see if it was sunny, raining, snowing..... Four years later the hospital wanted to amputate his leg. His father, a medical officer in the German army, told them "he lives with his leg or he dies with his leg". Six years later, in 1948, he was correctly diagnosed with staphylococcus osteomyelitis (an infection). Sulfa drugs, the treatment of choice, were scare due to the war. When his dad opened practice he was able to get the drugs his son needed but the infection had settled in the growth plate of the leg bone just above the knee and his left leg didn't grow. If left him with a limp but not a broken heart.

Konrad became a very good swimmer and has competed in many races including: a 12.5 mile swim around Key West, 5k World Championships where he place third and the "Tampa Bay Marathon" Race. Earlier this year was the first time he finished the 24 mile marathon swim! It was his forth attempt at the amazing feat which is primarily done by relay teams of 4-6 swimmers. The first year in '99 he had severe cramps in his left leg after 6 miles and had to stop. The next year an impending storm came after 11 miles and the waves were too much for him. Last year he was a few hours into the race when he had to stop from sudden illness after swallowing diesel fuel from a boat. That made his forth successful attempt all the more gratifying. He is the oldest competitor to ever finish the event solo. He plans to put together "a relay team of really old people" for next year and may do the event solo again at age 70.

*Reprinted by permission of The St Petersburg Times. © 2002 All right reserved.