THE SWIMMER

By Adam Docker

‘I was in Acitrezza, a small town north of Catania, Sicily, when I met Rosario Patanè after he emerged from the water having swam 2500 metres out to the castle you can see in the distance and back again.

Rosario had lost his leg at the age of 20 and found swimming as a way to rebuild his body and hold on to his mental health.

When I asked him for a portrait he agreed to stand on the black lava rocks by the shore. I hadn’t realised how sharp and spiky they were. He tried to climb up, slipped back down, and I told him not to worry, he could stand somewhere easier. He refused. Slowly and with determination he pushed himself up again, until he was standing tall in front of me.

I felt guilty for asking, but he carried it with dignity. His strength was not just in his body but in the way he refused to give in. That moment went beyond a photograph, it was about resilience, pride and the quiet courage that keeps you moving forward.’