AN extreme swimmer from Hungary has told of how he owes "everything" to the medical staff at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald after falling ill last year.
Atila Manyoki, a long distance swimmer from Budapest, was attempting to cross the North Channel last August when he became unwell.
Suffering from hypothermia, severe jellyfish stings and breathing difficulties, he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at the Ulster Hospital.
Described as being in a poor condition, he went on to make a full recovery and vowed to take on the challenge again.
This week, Mr Manyoki successfully swam the North Channel to complete the Ocean's Seven challenge, swimming the seven most dangerous waters in the world.
The 44-year-old sportsman has already swam the La Manche in 2013, the Tsugaru Strait of Japan in 2014, the Molokai Channel in Hawaii, the Catalina Channel near Los Angeles, the Straits of Gibraltar and the Cook Strait in New Zealand.
After completing the North Channel this week, he became the 17th person to complete the Ocean's Seven.
Afterwards, he returned to the Ulster Hospital to thank the staff who had saved his life.
Mr Manyoki said he owed "everything to Dr Bob Darling and the team in the Intensive Care Unit".
"My motivation to come back here and complete the swim came from these people and this place," he said.
"Dr Darling brought me back and I must say so many thanks to the hospital."
He said completing the challenge was "brilliant, finally I did it".
"The conditions were like the previous time, with lots of jellyfish but I only got five or six stings in the final section," he said.
"They weren’t so serious this time and I was able to go on. Now I am the fastest overall time leader in the Ocean’s Seven series, and it is a fantastic feeling."
Dr Bob Darling described Mr Manyoki as "unique".
"It’s remarkable that Atila was able to come back and complete the swim, first of all psychologically but also that he was able to get back into the physical condition to take on this challenge again," he said.
"I was worried that there would be some scarring or residual effect on his lungs. I am really pleased for him that he has achieved this milestone."
Mr Manyoki said his next challenge will be swimming the 50K around Manhattan island in New York.
