STRAUCH Jenna

General
HEALTH SCARE
She contracted three parasites while competing at the 2013 World Junior Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She spent time in hospital and required treatment for over 18 months. "We don't know where they came from. I was so sick. I was in and out of hospital for over a year and a half. There would be week stints, day visits, they just couldn't get rid of it. One parasite was masking the other. I had salmonella poisoning for nine months before they were able to treat that. Swimming at that time was not even an option, although I kept trying. It was a lot to deal with as a kid and it taught me to grow up really quickly. Everyone in swimming has something. Some people get injured, I got sick and those are the cards I was dealt. I didn't want it to define my swimming career, or me as a person. There were plenty of tough times and it would certainly have been easier to give it away. I was determined to get back in the pool. From there it was a two-year build just to even get back to a decent level of swimming." (bond.edu.au, 04 Dec 2018)

FUTURE OCCUPATION HOPES
She studies biomedical science at Bond University in Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, and hopes to specialise in genetics in order to help people with cancer in the future. "I always had a love for science, but I also wanted to help people and support them through tough times. A lot of genetic issues can result in cancer, so I found that this is what I'd like to do to try to make an impact on the world and how I think I can help people. I know a lot of people that had to navigate the pressure that comes from being diagnosed with the disease and recognise the impact it has on the community." (swimming.org.au, 27 Aug 2020)