Warm Water, Warm Thoughts
- Chris Camacho
- Aug 13
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 14
When Chris Camacho entered the pool for the first time after her spinal cord injury, two things struck her immediately: the warmth of the water and the overwhelming sense of peace that followed.
That moment marked the beginning of a new chapter, one she never expected to write. On July 3rd, 2024, Chris underwent emergency surgery after being misdiagnosed and given incorrect medication. The surgery left her with an incomplete spinal cord injury at the T4 level.
Before her injury, Chris had lived a life of service and strength. She spent 26 years as a police officer and five years working in the field with the Administration for Children’s Services. She’s a former high school basketball player and an avid swimmer. With a deep connection to her body and movement through physical activity. Now, she’s learning her body all over again.
During rehab, Chris began noticing different adaptive programs, eventually coming across one for swimming. Although she had already spent a large portion of her life in water, this was different. This time, it wasn’t about skill or practice. It was about possibility.
She remembers her first session vividly. With a desensitized nervous system, the cold can be painful. But here, in the warmth of the pool water, for the first time in a long time, she felt at peace.
“The water gives you freedom,” Chris said.
In the water, gravity disappears. Chris was able to stand and walk without devices. She described the feeling of her legs straightening naturally in the deep end, of holding her arms out and moving freely, “just like the Bible said.” Chris declared with a smile.
The Hoyer lift, which is used to transfer you into the pool safely, was necessary the first two times, but soon, the intrigue of launching into the pool from her wheelchair was too strong to resist. And just like that, Chris graduated from the Hoyer lift to transfer to an independent one.
While the difference in gravity was initially shocking, her nerves slowly reawakened, and being in the water soon felt natural again.
Chris even helped ease the nerves of Natalia, founder of WOW, throughout her experience. After living with a SCI for 18 years, Natalia had tried swimming multiple times but was too terrified to follow through with lessons. Chris stayed by her side like a “human buoy,” refusing to let her sink. Despite being just one year into her own injury, Chris’s fearlessness became a source of reassurance for Natalia. Today, everyone calls Natalia “the mermaid,” thanks to Chris's unwavering support.
Chris sees swimming not just as exercise, but as liberation, and even activism. After recently experiencing frustration with a local public pool that lacked accessible bathrooms, she reached out to the NYC Parks Department to push for better accommodations.
For her, swimming is both a personal act of reclaiming freedom and a public statement about the right to access and joy.
Her advice to her past self is the following: “Don’t expect too much too fast, take time for yourself.” She now embraces each stage of healing without rushing.
These days, she’s not only swimming, she’s also surfing. Chris has ridden the best waves in the world four times now, and she’s only getting started.
“I’ve spent most of my life living for other people,” she said. “This is the first time I’m living for me.”
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