Yanna’s swimming beyond her limits

A young Gowna woman, paralysed from the waist down following a serious traffic accident three years ago, is set to join the Irish Paralympic swim team.

“I’m so excited. It’s another focus. I love staying motivated, and I feel where my life is now, this is going to be a brilliant challenge,” says Yanna Hartin of a personal journey that also includes a planned open-water swim later this year - made possible by a custom chair designed by Frank Cole, a young engineer from Virginia. The specially designed chair allows Yanna to enter the water independently, offering a freedom she once thought impossible.

Life changed in an instant

Yanna was 18, having just completed her Leaving Certificate, and on her way to a summer job at the Farnham Estate hotel when the accident happened.

“I remember sitting there, thinking, ‘Oh God, look what’s happened,’” she recalls. “I moved my head, then my fingers and my hands - they worked fine. But when I tried moving my toes… nothing. I thought, ‘Oh, I must be paralysed.’ My sister asked if I was okay, but I just said, ‘Call an ambulance.’”

She received her Leaving Certificate results from a hospital bed at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. Her recovery, which took just over a year, began at Dublin’s Mater Hospital and continued at the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoghaire. College was deferred for a year, but Yanna is now studying Politics and Law at DCU, determined to balance academics with swimming.

Returning to the water

Being active and around water has always been a source of joy for Yanna and her family. A quadruplet, she grew up in Gowna, Cavan, surrounded by lakes, and her father, Gavin, is a former county footballer.

A year ago, on her physiotherapist’s re commendation, the 21 year old returned to swimming, and through Swim Ireland, she met tutor Una McGlone.

“I had always enjoyed swimming before, but I didn’t know what to expect with this,” Yanna admits. “I always said I’d like to feel the sensation of my body floating again. Una said, ‘Yeah, fine, if that’s what you want, all we’ll do is float.’”

Did she expect to progress so quickly? The short answer is “no.”

But there’s a “but…”

“Behind it all I’m really competitive,” admits Yanna, half-smiling by the poolside at the Cavan Regional Health Sport & Leisure Complex. It’s not bravado - it’s a fact.

Even at the start, Yanna admits she was “so worried about drowning”. She laughs at the thought now.

Una’s patience became an essential bridge to overcoming hurdles, both mental and physical.

“Nothing was an issue,” remembers Yanna. “If I said I didn’t know how to do something, she’d say, ‘That’s fine, we’ll figure it out together.’”

Swimming soon became more than exercise: it became independence, confidence, and a sense of normality - a place where her body moved without limitation and the trauma of her accident temporarily slipped away.

Community Support

Community has been a major ballast for Yanna, who’s recovery was bolstered by an epic wave of community generosity. A Four Leaf Clover fundriser set up in Yanna’s name raised almost €370,000 to support her recovery. Former Cavan full-back and businessman Ciaran Brady led the committee, and the money has been used for essentials such as adapted accommodation, transport, medical treatment, physiotherapy, and training.

But entering open water remained stubbornly out of reach - until Frank Cole stepped in. A young welder in training, Frank heard about Yanna’s ambitions and decided to do something. Using a seat donated from Virginia Nursing Home and some wheels, he built a bespoke open-water chair. Pads on the front wheels stop it from sinking, even across soft or rough terrain, meaning Yanna can enter the water without anyone lifting her.

Garda Sergeant and Virginia Triathlon Club member James McDevitt helped bring the connection together.

“Isn’t it amazing how one small mention can bring so many people together? All these strands of life just connect. Ray said, ‘Yeah, we’ll do it on Wednesday,’ and they just got on with it. You can see from the finished chair - it’s a great piece of work.”

Resilience and Perspective

For Yanna, the chair represents far more than mobility.

“We obviously have so many lakes in Cavan, but I couldn’t get into any of them - not a single one,” she tells the Celt. “I’m so excited about the prospect of swimming in open water and not having to tip myself out of a kayak or something like that. Being in water is peaceful - it’s maybe why I’ve taken to swimming like I have.”

By the end of January, she’ll start training with the Irish Paralympic swim team in Dublin. By summer, she’ll be plunging into Lough Ramor with members of the local triathlon club.

“I think people expect me to want to walk again,” she says. “They thought all of this would be really hard. But it wasn’t. And it isn’t. When I don’t fit the idea they have in their head, they panic: ‘Oh my god, she went off script!’”

Yanna’s mantra is simple: Don’t apologise, don’t wait for pity. “I’m alive, I’m healthy, I’m in college, I’m swimming. I’m not looking for anyone to throw me a pity party. There’s nothing I can’t do, within reason, and I’m living my best life.”

No Barriers

Yanna also praises Ann Coyle and her team at the Cavan Regional Health Sport & Leisure Complex, as well as Jessica Eynaud, DEIB and Women in Sport Manager with Swim Ireland. “They’ve been amazing,” she says. “I feel very lucky to have such support in Cavan.”

Her focus is clear: representing Ireland on the international stage. “It’s another challenge, another goal. And I’m ready for it.”

Coach Una is proud of Yanna’s progress. “She is an amazing person to work with, with a fantastic attitude. This probably wasn’t in Yanna’s life plan three years ago, but every day since, she has given it everything she’s got.”