Mallory Weggemann is a fantastic American Paralympic swimmer who has overcome great obstacles to achieve incredible accomplishment. She received an epidural injection for post-shingles back discomfort in 2008, which permanently changed the path of her life and left her a T10-complete paraplegic.

Weggemann didn't let her impairment stop her from setting multiple world records in the S7 classification and becoming a formidable force in swimming. At the IPC Swimming World Championships in 2009 and 2010, she won many gold medals, showcasing her unmatched talent and tenacity. Her path, nevertheless, wasn't without controversy. Weggemann was controversially moved to the S8 class for the 2012 Paralympics, where swimmers with less handicap competed. She nevertheless won the S8 50-meter freestyle competition, breaking a previous Paralympic record.

Weggemann showed remarkable resiliency by going back to the water just a few months after her paralysis, putting her sights on taking home a gold medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games. Her goals, though, went beyond swimming. Weggemann dreamed of resuming his walking, which was once thought to be impossible. She was able to take her first steps on November 16, 2013, with the help of the public and a crowd-funding Indiegogo campaign. She did this by using specialized leg braces and forearm crutches. Although she still relies on her wheelchair daily, these cutting-edge tools have given her brief bursts of upright mobility.

Weggemann concentrated on developing her career outside of the pool by booking motivational speaking engagements while she prepared for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her inspirational journey was documented in the film "The Current," which was created by the nonprofit group Make A Hero, which promotes the use of adapted sports to empower people with disabilities..

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