Owner of Swimm with Timm overcame own mental health challenges, now works to help others
Owner of Swimm with Timm overcame own mental health challenges, now works to help others
Brianna Dunn said sensory stimulation be hard for her 4-year-old twins Cameron and Jordan.
“They (were) both diagnosed with autism in January (of 2024), and so they have some sensory processing disorders that they work through,” she said. “But they do very, very well here.”
The “here” she was referring to was at swim lessons with Timothy Heffron, the owner of Swimm with Timm.
Dunn said the boys are making great progress, she said initially trips to the pool came with struggle.
“(They were) very clingy to mom,” she said. “They were very hesitant and tearful, and now I pull things out and they’re ready to go. They’re helping me put things on. They’re running to the stairs.”
Heffron started his swimming program after working through his own mental health crisis while working for UPS. He described suffering a breakdown.
“I thank the Teamsters because I never would’ve gotten diagnosed with bipolar or anything that I have now without being on the teamsters’ medical benefits,” Heffron said.
Once Heffron was diagnosed and treated for bipolar disorder, he decided not to return to the shipping business and instead return to something he loves, swimming.
A swimmer himself, he said he then started coaching.
“What college gave me was the opportunity to start coaching swimming,” he said. “I started coaching, and I really found out that I liked it. The kids responded to me and parents responded to me.”
Swimm with Timm partners with the national nonprofit organization Hope Floats to connect with families who rely on scholarships for lessons.
“One of the things that we are highly involved in is trying to get kids with different disabilities involved in swimming,” Heffron said.
Dunn said while swimming has become a fun activity for her boys, she knows the skill can also be a lifesaver.
A recent report from the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate found drowning to be the leading cause of death among children with autism.
“My boys specifically are very, very attracted to the water, any kind of water, there’s very little sense of danger,” Dunn said. “And so just water safety is a really big deal for me.”
Heffron had this advice for anyone with a disability hoping to follow as a passion as he has.
“You just got to keep putting one foot in front of the other and just keep walking forward,” he said. “Whether you have bipolar disorder or autism or ADHD or whatever, or a physical disability too, you can’t let that stop you.”
Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.
