Swimming five miles through the rough, cold waters of the Boston Harbor would be tough for anyone. But for Karen Gaffney, who has Down syndrome, the swim was all in a day’s work.

Gaffney, 31, swam across the Harbor Thursday to show that people who have Down syndrome are capable of anything.

The event, which was a fundraiser for the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress coincided with Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

This was not Gaffney’s first accomplishment in the water. The Portland, Ore. resident was the first person with Down syndrome to complete a relay swim across the English Channel and has also swam across Lake Tahoe.

“It was really cold,” Gaffney told The Boston Globe, adding that in the end she felt, “a little stiff, but I’m alive.” To read more click here.

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