A Paralympic Swimmer’s Two-Part Race Against Time

there is no name for Morgan stickney's disease she's one of two people in America with the condition and yet Morgan Stickney though but she is quick and Lisha Patterson's world record maybe we're looking that low she's inside for 54.2 she has smashed it as she brings it home for Team USA what a swim it's sticky in Lane five and the USA claims the gold Morgan had no idea she was suffering from a rare disease when doctors amputated her leg back in 2018 I was in so much pain and doctors basically told me either you'd live in pain like this uh for the rest of your life and never be able to use the leg again so I got a really bad infection in my first leg essentially all my bones turned to like marshmallows so there was no way to heal those bones except remove them we never thought I would lose my second leg um my surgeon and entire medical team would always be like no this was the end of of it and obviously it wasn't and even now it's still not the end of it this is the pool where Morgan Stickney trains Titan aquatic club in Carrie this is what Morgan calls her Sanctuary when I'm in the pool I don't think about anything that I'm going through so it's kind of just like my time during the day to pretend that nothing in my life like exists outside of swimming um I I truly just love swimming I love working hard and pushing my body to the max every day and people always ask me oh how long are you going to swim and it's always until my body will allow me because I just I truly love the sport back in New Hampshire where it all started for Stickney her coach Brian Crawford recounted her dedication she went two seasons without missing a practice and she came through whatever she rearranged everything in her life to come and that was what was important to her she was kind of like a very little girl in an older body so she would listen to you very intensely after becoming a bilateral amputee Morgan moved down to carry to train under John Payne regardless of all the things that she has going on and will continue to have going on she keeps her goals in front of her and pursues those regardless of all of that stuff with no cure she's been traveling to and from Boston to receive what she calls a Band-Aid treatment it's very similar to chemotherapy in the sense that I have all the same side effects where you know I'm continually vomiting and nauseous and just don't feel good they believe that it will eventually shut down um my organs my coach always says you know you don't have to feel good to Race fast Morgan Stickney confirmed as the world champion and new world record holder for USA Morgan hopes to break her own world record in the 400 meter freestyle and she'll have a special cheering Squad um I feel like I have a really unique relationship with all of um my doctors and PAs and nurses and everything um I'm very excited for Paris because three of my doctors are going to be going she hopes they get to hear this I'm Isabella gusos [Music] reporting