Diana Nyad to swim for Hurricane Sandy victims

Nyad talks to Local 10 about 48 hour swim to raise money

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – The world watched as Diana Nyad completed a world-record swim from Cuba to Florida, a feat that took her five attempts over more than three decades.

Now, just less than a month after her biggest accomplishment, she has decided to swim for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

"I'm proud as heck about it," Nyad said. "I'm a New Yorker and last year when Hurricane Sandy hit, right about now, I was hurt like the rest of the world. We watched these people, in one hour, thousands of people lose their homes."

As the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy approaches, Nyad will swim for 48 hours straight to raise funds for those who were affected by the superstorm.

A 120-foot long, two-lane pool will be installed in Herald Square for the event, which takes place next week, allowing New Yorkers to witness Nyad's endurance firsthand and cheer her on as she raises funds for those in need.

"All kind of celebrities, firefighters, wounded warriors and little kids are going to swim for a little time next to me," Nyad said. "In the end, we're going to give one big fat check to AmeriCares. We're going to hand that over to the thousands of people who are still homeless."

Her spirit is just as strong as ever, and the 64-year-old is still brushing off naysayers with her unwavering confidence.

"There's going to be a little group of bloggers who are going to say, ‘Hey, she must have slept on the boat. It couldn't be done.' It was done," Nyad said. "We did it fair and square. You know, those little bloggers can just keep on blogging. I don't lose any sleep at night believe me."