Our students were visited by motivational speaker and G.R.I.T expert, Victoria Arlen.
Victoria’s life drastically changed in 2006 at the tender age of eleven when
she developed two rare conditions known as Transverse
Myelitis and Acute Disseminated
Encephalomyelitis. This was an incredibly rare scenario and Victoria quickly
lost the ability to speak, eat, walk and move. She slipped into a vegetative
state and Victoria spent nearly four years “locked” inside her own body
completely aware of what was going on but unable to move or communicate.
Doctors believed there was little hope of survival and that recovery was unlikely.
In 2010 after almost four years she began the nearly impossible fight back to
life. Although she faced the devastating
reality of paralysis from the waist down due to damage to her spine, she went
on to exceedingly defy the odds and not only recovered but has since become an
accomplished Motivational Speaker, Actress, Model, and Swimmer. Her swimming
includes three Silvers and a Gold medal from the London 2012 Paralympic Games
as well as multiple World, American and Pan American Records. Victoria recently
joined ESPN as the youngest on-air talent and made her television debut this
past Summer reporting at the Special Olympic World Games in Los Angeles. At
just twenty-one years old Victoria has become world famous not only for her
story and accomplishments but for her message:
“ Face It, Embrace It,
Defy It, Conquer It “and “Rock Your Disability “
