Mid-winter dippers dash in and out when the sea is 10C, but a Greymouth man plans to lower himself into waters of 2-3C and sit there for 20 minutes in an attempt to set the country’s unofficial ice-bath record.
Two-time leukaemia survivor Josh Komenis used to facing big challenges, and he is undertaking the record attempt to raise money for the place he and his family lived while he underwent treatment.
He said it would be a mental challenge as much as a physical challenge, but he had been practicing hard and it was all in a good cause.
The ice-bath record attempt will be held on March 29 at Christchurch’s Ranui House, a home away from home for patients and their families undergoing treatment at Christchurch Hospital.
Komen and his family spent 474 nights at Ranui House between 2011 and 2016 during his cancer battle, and he described it as a “saving grace” for him and his family.
“It was the most challenging and desperate time of my life. No words can say what this place has done for me,” he said.
Komen said ice baths had been a big practice in his life and were a real catalyst to reclaiming his mental and physical health.
“Having cancer twice, I suffered severe mental health [problems], deep depression, and I was quite suicidal. For me to gain mental clarity once I got in my first ice bath and got out - I’d never felt so clear in my head for a very long time, and I felt quite euphoric. For me, it’s been a constant practice to help regulate my nervous system,” he said.
As a qualified Oxygen Advantage breathing instructor, Komen said the techniques he gained from his learnings have helped him to remain calm and comfortable, despite the extreme cold.
“The ice bath is an analogy for life in a way - learning to be comfortable in an extremely uncomfortable situation. So, we establish that comfort with different breathing techniques, and all of a sudden, you’re quite calm and comfortable in this extreme, uncomfortable situation,” he said.
Bone Marrow Cancer Trust chief executive Mandy Kennedy said everyone at Ranui House was buzzing about the upcoming ice-bath record attempt.
“Josh has been through the most gruelling journey you can imagine, and yet he’s come through it with humility, strength and the energy to give back to his community. His passion and drive is infectious, and we are so excited and thankful for all he is doing to raise awareness for Ranui House and the work we do,” she said.
Komen, who is now cancer-free, lives in Greymouth with his wife and seven-month-old daughter.
He said he was appreciative of all the little things in his life.
“I’m thriving... because I should be dead, I should be dead more than once, and here I am enjoying life.”
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