When Jay first contacted me regarding his intentions to do a swim for Aspergers, I really wasn’t certain how it was going to happen. To me, it seemed like a gargantuan task to undertake for anyone, never mind an individual with AS! I was less than enthusiastic at the beginning of our talks as I understood the commitment and resources needed to pull off such a feat and said as much to Jay, but to my great surprise and pleasure, Jay was determined to make it happen and thankfully just kept at it. Jay has worked tirelessly over the past year to bring together a support team that includes folks from several agencies in Kingston and surrounding area as well as a few of us here at the Aspergers Society of Ontario, not to mention training for the swim!!! We feel very privileged to be thought of by Jay as an organization that will benefit from his efforts. Our biggest hope for this event, apart from the safe arrival of Jay on the shores of Lake Ontario here in Toronto, is that through his efforts, awareness and understanding of AS and the devastating effects it can have on an individual, will come through loud and clear and that people will realize that with encouragement and the right support, individuals of all ages with AS can and will accomplish great things.

Jay, you are an inspiration to others and all of us here at the Asperger Society are looking forward to cheering you on as you complete this most amazing event!!!

Margot Nelles
Executive Director
The Aspergers Society of Ontario

Jay adds: I anticipate the swim to take between 30 and 36 hours. The plan is to start ~8am on Monday and be finished before dark on Tuesday so that I’ll have to swim through only one night instead of two. (Night swimming is the most difficult part.) I’m not allowed to touch any boat, person, or floatation device so I’ll have to stay awake during the entire swim. I have never stayed awake that long before. The reason for the four-day window period is that we reserve the boats and the crew for four days and, if the start is delayed because of bad weather, we can still finish within the four-day period.

Jay Serdula is a healthy man in his early 30’s who has a great deal of stamina and endurance, and he is planning on using this natural endurance to raise awareness and continued research for asperger syndrome, a disorder he has been diagnosed with, by swimming across Lake Ontario. He first started to swim on prolonged training sessions a short time before 1990, the year in which he completed his first triathalon. Now he will at last be ready for his greatest swimming challenge yet when he crosses Lake Ontario without stopping to rest in July 2008. This web log will primarily be used to display a truncated version of his training log and to detail his progress.