“I love to smile, even through pain.”
“The climb might be tough and challenging,but the view is worth it. There is a purpose for that pain; you just can’t always see it right away.”
“We all have challenges. We have to face them, embrace them, defy them, and conquer them.”
“Live life to the fullest no matter what.”
“I’m a firm believer that every morning brings a new opportunity for me to conquer the day.”
“’Thank you’ is never enough for me to say to my family.”
“Swimming is still very much a part of me.”
“The moment when you feel like giving up is right before your breakthrough.”
“A disability can be anything that you are insecure about, and I teach people that when challenges come your way, you need to face them, you need to embrace these new norms and these challenges, and you need to defy them and conquer them.”
“Who doesn’t like to get dressed up and eat good food?”
“At some points, hope was the only thing I had. When I began my journey toward walking again, I clung to hope like a life raft.”
“When you have a spinal or brain injury, or any kind of devastating illness, you kind of fall through the cracks in a sense. Your world implodes, and no one is really there to help pick up the pieces.”
“It’s actually more work for me to not smile than to smile.”
“The big thing for me is just continuing to be a beacon of hope. And showing people that nothing is impossible.”
“It’s important to believe in yourself and the beauty of your dreams and to not let anyone tell you different.”
“There’s always going to be something positive that can come out of any negative situation.”
“When my doctors said I would never walk, I didn’t believe them. I knew I wasn’t meant to spend my life in a chair.”
“I will use my voice to change the world, spreading hope, spreading love, and spreading life, ’cause the world needs that. That’s enough for me.”
“Winning gold and three silver medals at the Paralympic games is something I’ll never forget, but I knew deep down there was still more work to do. I had to continue to redefine what was possible and get back everything that was taken away from me.”
“I grew up a swimmer. I didn’t think I could swim without the use of my legs.”
“You know that feeling when your leg falls asleep and you can’t really feel it or move it? Well, that’s what my legs feel like all the time, so being fluid and graceful has been difficult.”
“It’s been a reality check that my muscles are still really affected by my spinal cord injury, but it’s also been super empowering to see how much I’m capable of.”
“Every time I dance, it’s a tremendous blessing, and I just can’t forget that.”
“I was told that I would be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.”
“I learned early on that extraordinary challenges lead to extraordinary victories.”
“It started off with flu-like symptoms and pain; then, I started feeling really funny. In two weeks, I was paralyzed from the waist down, and it spiraled down from there. Every ability I had was slowly slipping away.”
“I love to swim, and what I have been able to do – give people hope.”
“I want the other Victorias out there, the people that are suffering or going through something, to keep fighting.”
“I was told it couldn’t be done. My dream was impossible. But on March 3, 2016, after spending 10 years in a wheelchair paralyzed from the waist down, I took my first steps without assistance. That was no easy task.”
“Growing up, I was a water baby. We lived near a lake, had a pool in our backyard, and as soon as I was old enough, I joined a swim team. By 10, I was winning local events.”
“I have these big brown eyes, so ever since I was a baby, you could tell what I was feeling and thinking based on my eyes.”
“I grew up doing tap, jazz, and ballet, so I understand rhythm and movement and performing.”
“When I was 10 years old, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ premiered, and I told my mom, ‘I’m going to be on that show one day.’”
“When I was 11 years old, I got very sick and slipped into a vegetative state for four years and was pretty much written off as a lost cause.”
“I’m honored to be a part of the #ShowEm campaign because it recognizes the importance of who we are at our core and what drives us to become who we want to be, no matter what obstacles we face. Jockey has given me a platform to show people that the impossible can be possible if you keep fighting and believing.”
“It’s such a tremendous honor to redefine what is possible and inspire people. I just want to do that as long as possible.”
“The traditional tango is really staccato, but with the Argentine tango, you have to be really sexy and saucy.”
“My swim coach was very tough on me, and I respond well to that training… being pushed to my limit.”
“I was written off as a lost cause. But I’m living proof that miracles can happen.”
“While paralyzed, I won a gold and three silver medals as a competitive swimmer.”
“I made it to the top five on ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ To me, that was just a tremendous accomplishment.”
“I’m an athlete, I’m a competitor, so whenever you have a loss, you feel it in your heart.”
“I was bullied in high school. I would go through the hallways and be pointed at and laughed at because I was the new kid in a wheelchair.”
“There’s nothing greater than just having people that pick you up when you get knocked down.”
“When I was really sick, I loved watching ‘Dancing With the Stars.’”
“I know from my experience as a swimmer that you put in the work and practice, and come game day, your body is ready, and you just have to trust your training.”
“I think there’s a lot of people going through different things where you feel like your whole world’s imploded, and you feel like you lost it all, whether it’s physical, emotional, whatever you’re going through. If I can be that beacon of hope for people that need it the most through dancing and through our storytelling, then I’ve done my job.”
“Being competitive is in my nature. I actually think being competitive saved my life. It’s given me the constant drive to be better, and when I was in that hospital bed and that wheelchair, it made me want to get better.”
“’Good Life’ was my gold-medal song and is what I sing when I need to get focused and keep calm. It also just makes me super happy, and I love jamming out.”
“Since my days get crazy, I am in love with almonds – you’ll always find them in my bag!”
“Each of us can provide a positive example to others in our lives, and that’s powerful. When I visit those with difficult health conditions, I do my best to provide them with positive motivation because I know I was so inspired by people who showed support for me.”
“If mornings aren’t your thing right now, try making yourself do a happy dance after you get out of bed. It helps me!”
“I was determined to get back to my life. I had to relearn how to do everything. I had to learn how to talk, eat, move my arms.”
“I thought my sports career was over once I got into a wheelchair. That was the hardest reality I had to face.”
“We’re a huge hockey family. I took to it really quickly, and I was in love with it.”
“I come from a family of go-getters.”
“ESPN truly is a game changer and has the ability to unite the world through sports, which is something I’m incredibly passionate about.”
“My hope is to be the first disabled swimmer on an able-bodied team at the Y Nationals.”
“Heroes in real life don’t wear masks and capes. Sometimes they don’t stand out at all. But real heroes can save a life – or many lives – just by answering the call in their heart.”
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