1

Here’s how his hands and feet looked like after 55 hours in the water

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Here’s what people had to say

9

The fundraising campaign was a huge success. The swimmer raised a stunning sum of more than $4 million!

10

11

From a young age, Maarten van der Weijden from the Netherlands was known as a promising swimming talent

12

He had managed to swim a distance of 163 kilometers in 55 hours

13

However, as Maarten swam further he fell ill and the water was deemed too polluted for him to continue

14

The swim was scheduled to take 3 days, including very short naps to rest

15

The sole reason behind the event was to raise funds for cancer research, a cause close to Maarten’s heart

16

Recently the swimmer attempted to swim the entire 200 kilometers (120 mi) long track of the Elfstedentocht in the Netherlands

17

Most athletes are known for pushing themselves to the limits and Maarten is no exception

18

But the resilient swimmer beat cancer and 7 years later he became a gold medalist at the Olympic Games in 2008 Beijing

19

At only 19 years old Maarten was diagnosed with cancer

20

However, before his career could begin he faced a challenge that could have ended it all