Karen Gaffney is a remarkable open water swimmer who has swam nine miles across Lake Tahoe and was part of a relay team to cross the English Channel. Karen was born with Down syndrome, but has also graduated from college and is a passionate advocate via her Karen Gaffney Foundation.

Today in Hawaii, Karen will swim from the island of Molokini (between Maui and Lanai) to Wailea Beach as part of the Wailea Molokini Challenge, an event benefiting Best Buddies Hawaii and Ka Lima O Maui. She will begin at Wailea Beach, circumnavigate Molokini and then paddle back, accompanied by famous Hawaii channel swimmer Mike Spalding.

A precocious individual who founded the explains, “I’ve always been good at swimming and it really helps me to stay more alert, especially in high school and college, it helped me stay awake more and more physically fit.”

As a high school student, Gaffney founded the Karen Gaffney Foundation and started The Friends First Network to promote diversity awareness. “I really want people to understand that we’re more alike than we are different. I just want them to know about the tremendous capabilities of people with Down syndrome and I want to show them what is possible for people like me.”

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