this is a story of resilience courage and unwavering Spirit a story of how a young swimmer went from being a victim of a harrowing shark attack to a determined par Olympic swimmer this is the story of Alexandra truwit in May 2023 just 2 days after her graduation from Yale Alexandra truwit fondly known as Ali was on a dream vacation with her best friend Sophie pilton while snorkeling in the clear waters of Turks and caos the unthinkable happened a sudden shark attack that would change her life forever we were snorkeling in the ocean and seemingly out of nowhere a shark came up and started attacking us and ramming us and bumping us from underneath and we fought back but pretty quickly it had my leg in its mouth and the next thing I knew it had bitten off on my foot and part of my leg despite her severe injuries Ali and Sophie swam 75 yd back to the boat knowing that their only chance for survival was to keep moving both of us knowing a shark was still circling and um the shark actually came back a second time during that swim to the boat but thankfully didn't bite either of us that time um but swimming definitely saved my life you know I relied on 15 years of competitive swimming to give me any advantage in a situation where I had none and the fact that both of us knew how to swim and swim well completely saved our lives there began the long and arduous road to recovery after multiple surgeries including a transtibial amputation Ally faced intense physical and emotional challenges her love for the water once a place of Joy became a source of fear and pain initially I realized I was feeling really fearful of the water because at that point the last time I heard the sound of water I was swimming for my life but it was important for me to fight for the things that I could reclaim um because some of what I lost I'm never getting back despite her fears Ally knew that returning to the water was crucial for her healing process she began to confront her fears one step at a time with an indomitable Spirit Ali decided to pursue a new dream qualifying for the Paralympics her Relentless training and determination led her back to competitive swimming aiming for the Paris 2024 Paro Olympic Games she has never missed a practice ever and I think that if any one of those days she had called me and said you know what I'm just going to curl up in a ball and cry today everyone on Earth would have said that checks out I think that makes sense like you're allowed never once she never once for any reason at all missed a workout and when she's here she's giving 100% of Whatever She's Got it's uh it's just not normal it's not normal she is she is truly um worthy of admiration Ali's Journey Back to the pool wasn't just about competition it was about reclaiming her identity and rediscovering her love for the water it has been a journey supported by a network of family friends and coaches who believe in her strength and resilience that's who she was before the attack and amputation and that's who she is every single day now and she has those teary hard days and then she just pushes the reset button and stays focused on her values Ali truwit story is a powerful reminder of the strength of the human Spirit her journey from a shark attack Survivor to a paralympic swimmer shows that with courage and determination we can overcome even the most daunting challenges as Ally prepares for Paris 2024 we wish her all the [Music] best if you've been inspired by her story make sure sure to like share and subscribe for more incredible stories