Growing up, Hicksville resident Nancy (Obermeyer) Burpee spent a great deal of time in and out of emergency rooms and was on a first name basis with medical professionals because she was always dislocating and breaking bones.

It wasn't until 1995, when Burpee was 30 years old, that doctors diagnosed her with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a very rare and terminal genetic disease that causes deterioration of the connective tissues of her body, including tendons, ligaments, cartilage, heart, lungs and other major organs. To date, there is no cure.

Then, in 2004, Burpee received yet another medical blow when, at the age of 39, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Rather than undergo bouts of chemo and radiation, Burpee opted to have her breast removed.

Despite the EDS and breast cancer, Burpee, a single mother to son Gunnar, is determined to not let being physically challenged either stop or define her. Despite her conditions, Burpee doesn't consider herself disabled and told the Hicksville Illustrated News that she doesn't even like the word. "I am not disabled. I am physically challenged. God made the human body divine and resilient. Limitations exist in your mind and it is there that the true battle wages," Burpee said.

And wage on she does.

According to Burpee, the word "can't" isn't allowed in her home. "I have been blessed with the most incredible little boy. He knows all about the EDS and breast cancer. He will tell you the word 'can't' is not in our vocabulary [and it is] not allowed to be spoken in our home," she said. "He sees that I refuse to give up or not work hard and in turn so does he. We are a team and with that comes responsibility and mutual respect and it's our faith and relationship with God that is grounded and rooted in prayer that keeps us happy and alive."

For Burpee, now 42, swimming keeps her alive, both mentally and physically and not just as a method of exercise or rehab. A competitive swimmer since the age of six when she first began competing as a member of the Cantiague swim team, Burpee made headlines in 2004 when her dream to compete in the Paralympics in Athens, Greece was shattered after an Australian judge disqualified her on a procedural technicality. The Hicksville native, who had set records in the 50- and 100-meter freestyles during trials, hired an attorney, but an independent arbitrator ruled against her and declined to force the United States Olympic Committee to name her to the Paralympic team.

This year, Burpee is determined to get her chance and is currently training to compete in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games as a member of the U.S. Swim Team. Earlier this year, she competed in New York's Empire State Games where she was the only physically challenged athlete competing against able-bodied athletes as well as the only disabled swimmer in the entire state to compete at a world-class level. She garnered six medals - two gold and four silver.

Burpee, who spends three days a week training at Professional Athletic Performance Center in Garden City where she works closely with owner Tim Mauro, has qualified for the U.S. Paralympic Open Swimming Championships, which take place Dec. 6-8 at the University of Maryland. She also plans to compete in the U.S. Paralympic Swimming Trials, set for April 3-5 at the University of Minnesota.

Because of the EDS, there are many things Burpee said she can no longer do, physically, without getting seriously hurt. Swimming, however, is not one of them.

"In swimming, I lessen that risk and I just love it. Swimming has been the best way for me to get out my frustrations and stay focused on proving people wrong," she said, adding, "Swimming allows me to continue competing. If I didn't compete in some form, I'd be absolutely miserable."

And if swimming wasn't enough for someone who suffers from a severe arthritic condition, Burpee also competes in track and field events. She is hoping to also garner a spot on the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Team (throwing discuss and javelin). Earlier this year she won a silver medal in discus at the Empire State Games where, just like in the swimming competition, she was the only physically challenged athlete competing.

Burpee, who growing up attended Trinity Lutheran School and Long Island Lutheran High School, began swimming before the tender age of two when, on a family vacation, she jumped into the deep end of the hotel's in-ground pool, clothes and all.

"While my mother screamed to my dad to jump in and get me - he was a lifeguard - he just calmly stood there and told her not to worry, that I'd come up eventually. According to my mom, that's exactly what I did. I came up swimming and looking like a puffer fish," Burpee said, adding that the above-ground pool her parents got when she was a toddler wasn't enough and she soon began begging for a larger, in ground one. "My father than told me that if I could swim correctly across the small above ground pool at home he would sell his car and put in an underground pool," she said. "One day of practice and it was no problem."

Over the years, swimming led to other sports, such as field hockey, karate, basketball and track and field, as well as others, and many, many trips to the emergency room at the former Central General Hospital in Plainview.

"Being born with EDS and not knowing it for 30 years was horrible. I was in and out of emergency rooms since I was 18 months old with everything from dislocated and broken elbows, ankles, fingers and toes. Then, in high school, my right knee collapsed on a vault in gymnastics tearing everything inside, but every time I went to the emergency room the answer was always it's 'just a sprain,'" Burpee said. "The ER staff was sick of seeing me. Everyone thought I was just an extremely aggressive athlete. So did I."

While the many trips to the local ER were "frustrating," Burpee said they did not deter her from participating in the sports she loved. "It was very frustrating when the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak," she said, adding, "Yes, I am in constant pain. Yes, I dislocate every time I swim. But, in the grander scheme of things, if I wasn't training at this capacity my muscles would be so weak I would probably already be in a wheelchair and mentally, well I can't even go there.

"I push the limitations to what my body will do. It retaliates and doesn't cooperate on a daily basis but when push comes to shove in a race, a fervent prayer and sheer stubbornness and determination my body, by the grace of God, puts out what it can and then some," she said. "I was told I'd be in a wheelchair by 30, and I'm still not in one full-time."

Although EDS has had its negative effects, Burpee said breast cancer hindered her swimming more. "I had a mastectomy on my left breast upon returning from the Paralympic Trials in May 2004. The doctors did reconstruction at the same time as the mastectomy and I was back in the pool two weeks post-op with my left arm strapped to my side," Bupee said, adding that she opted for a mastectomy because EDS is a terminal disease. "I don't have the time for cancer," she said. "Get rid of the breasts and get rid of the risk. Plus, I'm a swimmer and breasts just got in the way and slow you down!"

While the medical community is unsure whether the EDS was a contributing factor predisposing her to breast cancer, Burpee believes the two are definitely related. "Due to increased tissue fragility and all the symptoms associated with EDS - serious lack of sleep due to dislocations, decrease in appetite, pulmonary and cardiac compromise, etc. - plus living on Long Island together, probably increased my risk for breast cancer," she said, adding, "Breast cancer didn't affect me more than the EDS, it just irritated me."

According to Burpee, swimming does not have a negative effect on her condition and she wouldn't be any "better" if she stopped or cut back on the amount of time spent in the water. "I am going to deteriorate physically regardless if I swim or not. Because of the intense training, I physically feel stronger, which keeps me going," Burpee said, continuing, "I decided to keep swimming with my illness because I'm not known for doing what I'm told. Anytime anyone says there's no way I can do something or tells me I shouldn't do it, I go out of my way to do it! I love the challenge, especially when people keep saying I can't do it."

When she isn't in the water or at physical therapy, Burpee dedicates her time to her 6 1/2 year old son, Gunnar. Depending on her condition, the mother and son duo spend a great deal of time outdoors. "I try to play catch with him or on the monkey bars," she said. "If I am stuck in my wheelchair due to pain we race down the boardwalk. It's a great workout for my upper body."

Burpee also has a passion for playing the piano and keyboard, something she has also been doing since she was a toddler. "When I am stuck inside I sit at the piano to decompress." At night, she said, Gunnar and she read the Bible with the two cats they rescued and say their prayers. "I pray I live to see another day," Burpee said.

Although he is still a child, Burpee said her son is "way beyond his years." "He wants to go to West Point and be an army surgeon then become a plastic surgeon to help other mommies who have breast cancer," she said.

With training, medical expenses and raising a child, Burpee said that financially it isn't always easy. "I am a single mother on disability so you can imagine it's not easy, especially with travel expenses, meet expenses, race suits and training," she said. "I eat Coco Pebbles every night for dinner so Gunnar can eat real food. It does help to keep my weight down so I am thankful for the little thing!" she said.

To make her quest for the Paralympics and the gold a little easier, those wishing to support "Team Burpee" can do so through monetary donations, which will be used to offset the cost of training, travel and accommodations. Donations can be sent to Nancy Burpee, PO Box 502, Woodbury, NY 11797. For more information, call Nancy at 342-1186 or email NSwimmer3@aol.com.