Sailing helps dreams come true for Nut

My name is Miss Titapha Saelim, I’m 26 years old, but my nickname is Nut. I was born with disabilities; my arms and legs are very weak, and I have half of a brain. My mother takes care of me alone, but, slowly, I have started to learn how to walk with a walker. Anyway, that’s enough about me.

One day Mr. Santi, a volunteer at Disabled Sailing Thailand, was trying to convince me to go sailing but I thought I couldn’t do it. He kept trying to persuade me until, finally, I said ‘ok, let’s try it out’. When I first arrived at the Royal Phuket Marina, I was excited because I had never been outside to do something very challenging in my life, ever. When I was out in the SV/14 sailboat, I sat in front and Mr. Santi sat behind controlling the boat. It was amazing. The sea is beautiful; the feeling is fantastic. My mother and I agreed to join the club. Ever since then I have been looking forward to sailing every weekend.

One day, Mr. Paul, who is also a volunteer at Disabled Sailing Thailand, invited me and my mother to sail on his boat named Night Train where I had the chance to try to helm the boat – it was amazing on a big sailboat.

Last year, I had heatstroke, and my condition was really bad. My heart stopped for three minutes. It was devastating for me. I told myself I’m never going to be able to sail again. I was hospitalised for months, I missed my friends and volunteers, I missed the sailboat, the sea, the wind, the feeling of being out on the water, and the freedom.

My mother did not give up on me. She pushed me to start doing rehabilitation until I was able to recover and able to go sailing again.

After that, my dream was to be able to compete in World Championships around the world to show people that I can sail because people thought that disabled people are not able to do anything. I want to make this dream come true.

What I really get from joining the Disabled Sailing Thailand club in Phuket is the opportunity to make new friends – not just Thai but also from other countries. I’m physically stronger because I have to be to exercise every day to be fit and able to sail, but without the help from coach and volunteers I wouldn’t have this day.

Lastly, I want to thank Peter, Kim, Santi, Paul and all of the volunteers that supported me.