Despite paralyzation, Salt Lake City resident prevails to finish Long Bridge Swim

SANDPOINT — At the 29th annual Long Bridge Swim held Aug. 3, 66-year-old Lane Henderson, who was left disabled after spinal surgery a year ago Tuesday, arose from the water, was handed his arm crutches, and crossed the finish line while being met with cheers and jubilation from family and spectators.

“It was quite the experience — pretty awesome,” Henderson, who hails from the Salt Lake City suburb of Riverton, said about finishing the Long Bridge Swim. “I have never been in a race with that many individuals, so it was pretty neat.”

Swimming is something Henderson did often while growing up in Palm Springs, Calif. A concrete finisher for most of his life, he developed some back problems, but that never deterred him from the sport he loved. Believe it or not, Henderson started swimming more regularly in 2016 because it helped relieve the persistent problems he had from years of blue collar work. That same year, Henderson also attended the 2016 World Senior Games in St. George, Utah and has gone every year since, except last year, when he had his back surgery.

The back surgery led to a bleed out in Henderson’s spine, which occurred exactly one year ago today. The bleed out led to nerve damage and Henderson had to spend a full month in the hospital learning how to walk again.

“I could move my toes a little, but I had no feeling in my legs,” Henderson said. “I had to learn how to stand even. There is a wonderful rehab center here, Neuroworx (Sandy, Utah), that I never knew about before and they do nothing but spinal injury rehabilitation. They were the miracle workers who helped me walk again.”

Henderson still has balance issues, mobility issues in his ankle, and strength issues in his lower legs, which is why he still uses arm crutches and often wears braces.

Despite the odds against him, his love for swimming prevailed, and he was ready to get back in the water.

How did Henderson find out about the LBS?

Henderson regularly competed in three Salt Lake Open Swims every year, the Great Salt Lake Open Water Swim in June, the Bear Lake Monster Swim in July, and the Deer Creek Open Water Marathon in August. To Henderson’s surprise, those races came to halt this summer after 17 years. With that news, Henderson ended up looking for other open water swims on the West Coast. That’s when he came across Sandpoint’s Long Bridge Swim.

“I couldn’t believe they have been putting on a race like this for 29 years now,” Henderson said. “When I saw the picture of spectators on the bridge watching the swimmers and all, I knew that this race was going to be it.”

Henderson, whose last trip to this part of North Idaho was for a scout jamboree in the ‘70s held at Farragut State Park, was a bit nervous having never done a swim over one mile before. Henderson decided to send in an email to LBS directors stating that he had mobility issues. Karen McClelland, one of the LBS’s organizers, said they would make it happen.

“They were just unbelievable with how much they’ve helped me, especially the kayaker that was with me the whole way,” Henderson said. “I didn’t really notice her until near the end when I could hear her cheering me on.”

Henderson said when he did finally cross the LBS finish line, he was filled with emotion. He couldn’t believe he had finished.

“When you start swimming, don’t stop for anything,” Henderson said of how he was able to finish the race. “That’s what I did. It took me two hours and 57 minutes … it was incredible to see all the people there at the end cheering me on, clapping, and coming up and talking to me afterwards. It was neat. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make it out of the water, but there were some staff that helped me.”

One family member Henderson saw at the finish line was his wife, Cindy, who he has been married to for 44 years. Henderson said Cindy has always supported his swimming endeavors, and although nervous by the thought of Lane swimming again, was happy to see his smiling face back in the water. 

“The only place I really felt like I could move was in the water,” Henderson said. “I typically would do the freestyle or American crawl, but had trouble with my legs, so I switched to the breaststroke and got a lot better with that.”

Henderson said about 80% of the swimming he does is with his arms, 20% with his legs. He said doctors have told him the feeling in his legs might come back one day, but for now, he remains numb from the kneecaps down.

“As long as I can swim, I’ll be happy,” Henderson said. “One thing I learned is to have more gratitude. If I focus on the things I CAN do, mentally, I’m better off. There’s a lot of people who can’t even do what I can do … When I leave physical therapy, I am reminded I don’t have it as bad as some others.”

Henderson said he plans on swimming for as long as possible. Today, he got back in the water after a week off, ready to train some more.

“I probably would,” Henderson said when asked if he would do the Long Bridge Swim again one day. “I was pretty wiped out for about three days afterwards … I couldn’t believe how well organized this swim was, especially considering the size. If you asked me a couple days after the swim if I would do it again, I’d probably say I don’t think so, but looking back now this race has helped me. Taking part in everything that happened there was priceless — something I will never forget.”

    Lane Henderson and the kayaker who assisted him in his trek, Laurie, near the Long Bridge Swim finish.