The Story of Annette Kellerman

Annette Kellerman had to wear braces on her legs because of persistent weakness. The cause is unclear, a few sources cite Ricketts or polio and later on in her life, she speculated that it might have been a calcium deficiency. Her father visited a doctor who recommended swimming lessons. It took Annette a lot longer to get the hang of swimming than it took her brothers. They were both able to swim on their own after a handful of lessons, but it took Annette close to 20.