Find a Way

On Sept. 2, 2013, at age sixty-four, Diana Nyad emerged onto the sands of Key West after swimming 111 miles (184 km) from Havana to Key West in an epic feat of physical endurance. Three poignant messages accompanied her on this journey, which she repeated on reaching dry land: Never give up; you’re never too old to chase your dreams; and it takes a team to succeed. Millions of people worldwide cheered for her, moved by Diana’s undeniable tenacity and faith in herself to be the first to swim from Cuba without a shark cage. Thirty-five years after first attempting this feat at age twenty-seven, she finally realized a dream by swimming from Havana to Key West in fifty-three hours. Inspired by her mantra—"Find a way"—Diana persevered despite numerous setbacks and failures earlier in life.