Naples resident combats Alzheimer’s in the swimming pool

Writer: Sylvie Sparks
Published: Updated:
David Metzger

Rain or shine 83-year-old David Metzger swims twice a day every day.

David was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s five years ago, but you wouldn’t know it.

He made diet and lifestyle changes to slow the effects of the disease.

Swimming is a huge part of his active lifestyle and he was recently honored by a the Gulf Coast Swim Team with an experience he hopes to never forget.

Swimming a lap in an Olympic-sized swimming pool was a check off the bucket list for the 83-year-old.

“The girls and the boys, they applauded so it made me feel really good,” Metzger said. “And then one girl even gave me a fist bump so I thought that was neat.”

And a USA Swim official was waiting on deck to give him an honorary medal.

Metzger has enjoyed swimming his whole life.

“I learned how to swim when I was five years old in Connecticut. We lived on the Housatonic River.”

His diagnosis five years ago changed why he gets in the pool.

“I like to swim, but I do it because I have Alzheimer’s and it’s just good for my mental approach.”

David stays active and eats well to keep his memory for as long as he can.

No matter what’s on the horizon, when he’s in the water he’s grateful for what he’s experienced so far.

“When I swim on my back I look up at the sky and I thank God for this life and pray for certain people and things. It’s just a very relaxing, peaceful thing.”

When David isn’t in the pool at Seascape, where he lives, he’s inside playing Rummikub and eating lots of blueberries.

Both are good for his brain and his day on deck is certainly one he wants to remember for as long as he can.

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