Israeli father swims round Manhattan in six-year-old daughter’s memory

An Israeli father who lost his six-year old daughter after her heart suddenly and inexplicably shut down has swum around New York City to raise money for research.

Guy Cohen, a Haifa resident whose daughter Netta’s heart gave out on her first day of school 15 years ago, went for the marathon eight-hour swim around Manhattan on Sunday to raise money for Sudden Cardiac Death research at Rambam Medical Center in Israel.

After taking part in the third annual 20 Bridges Swim, one of 12 swimmers to do so, he commented on “the struggle to find the cause and cure of Sudden Cardiac Death,” saying: “If I could have, in any way, prevented that loss, I’d have swam around the world to save Netta.”

Explaining that his gorgeous daughter died “suddenly, without any prior warning, without us knowing anything was wrong,” he added: “I know that the extraordinary work being done at Rambam will save the lives of many other children.”

American Friends of Rambam director Dick Hirschhaut said: “Having overcome great personal tragedy, Guy has channeled his energies toward the challenge of finding the cause and cure for Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD).”