Dig deep! Will Philps in marathon swim to save Russian girl Jenya Akexeva

Published: 03 June 2010
by TOM FOOT

NOT so long ago, Will Philps could barely sit or stand, often collapsing in a dizzy heap within just a few minutes due to a rare spinal condition he developed as a young child.

But after a series of operations on his back, the 23-year-old now plans to swim through the pain barrier to raise money to help a young Russian girl who also suffers from debilitating scoliosis but is considered a “lost cause” in her native country.

Mr Philps, who lives in Solent Road, West Hampstead, is determined to raise £8,000 to pay for 12-year-old Jenya Akexeva to fly to Germany for what could be life-saving treatment. Russian medics say they won’t operate because Jenya’s condition is too severe, but doctors in Germany think they can make a breakthrough if they can see her within the next few weeks. In a race against time, Mr Philps is aiming to complete 75 punishing pool lengths in an hour on Sunday.

He said: “I heard about this young girl in Russia who is in desperate need of spinal surgery. If her scoliosis is left untreated, her internal organs will be crushed. I had two major operations to correct my spine in January last year. This was very major surgery for me, and only now I feel I am on the way to recovery. Now I want to swim not just to help myself but to help Jenya.”

Mr Philps heard about Jenya through links between his family and Russia made while his father, Alan, was a Moscow correspondent for the Daily Telegraph in the 1990s. 

Mr Philps will swim at the 02 Centre swimming pool in Finchley Road 02 Centre.

• To sponsor him visit www.justgiving.com/sponsoredswimforjenya