Darien swimmers headed to Paralympics one year after shark attack – NBC Connecticut

Ali Truwit thought her next chapter was written.

“I had a job lined up,” Truwit said. “I wanted to start in October, after a summer of partying – traveling with friends.”

The Darien native had completed her Division I swimming career at Yale and was looking for a new job in New York City.

“But then I went on vacation and was attacked by a shark and my plans changed completely,” Truwit said.

This is an unexpected twist in the plot that no one would expect.

“It’s everyone’s worst nightmare and it’s come true,” Truwit said.

In fact, there are many reasons why Truwit shouldn’t tell this story at all.

“Pretty quickly it had my leg in its mouth and bit off my foot and part of my leg,” Truwit said, recounting that May 2023 snorkeling day in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

But for all the reasons she shouldn’t have lived to tell this story, there are even more reasons why she does.

“I kept telling myself, ‘Stay conscious, stay together, just get to the boat, get to the boat,'” Truwit said. “I relied on my 15 years of competitive swimming experience to give me an advantage in a situation where I didn’t have one.”

There were her years as a competitive swimmer and her Yale teammate Sophie Pilkinton, who was in the water with Truwit that day, on the outing with Truwit this week to celebrate her own graduation from medical school.

“As soon as I got on the boat, Sophie put a tourniquet around my leg and when the bleeding had not subsided sufficiently, she tied it again and saved my life,” Truwit said.

Then there are the doctors at the hospital in Miami, including another Yale swim graduate. There are the nurses and therapists, her family and siblings, and Truwit’s struggle to say that her story is not over.

“So she calls me via Facetime from a hospital bed.”

James Barone, Truwit’s childhood swim coach, remembers his first conversation with her after the attack. “And she says, ‘Remember all those years you tried to get me to kick my feet? Well, I just swam 70 yards to a boat with no feet,'” Barone said.

As it turned out, this was where Truwit’s next chapter would really begin.

“Goal number one was to help Ali get better. We used the sport as a tool to improve and it was really impressive to watch,” Barone said.

“I loved the water and wanted to keep that love, but it was also really, really scary and hard,” Truwit said. “Physically, I had just had a leg amputated, so the nerve endings were extremely sensitive to any sensation – and mentally, the sound of the water caused flashbacks.”

With the help of Barone and a handful of current and former Paralympic athletes, Truwit swam in her first meet just three months after the attack. Ten months later, she qualified for the United States Paralympic team.

“I am thrilled to wear the flag on my hat,” Truwit said. “For me, this is not only a great honor, but also an opportunity to thank the everyday heroes in my story who saved my life.”

“All this attention is on her and she’s just holding up a mirror and saying, ‘I’m about to put this right back out into the world,'” Barone said.

Truwit knows that her story makes her unique, but the lessons she has learned from it can resonate with everyone.

“Anyone who goes through traumatic experiences or unexpected life events is still strong, even if we have changed,” Truwit said. “The water is still the place for me and it is still a place that shows me my power and my strength.”

No, it’s not a story Ali Truwit ever thought she would tell, but she will share it with anyone who needs to hear it.

“I’m going to finish this in a way I never imagined and at a level I never imagined,” Truwit said. “To think about representing my country is so incredible. We all have more in us and for me that’s such an exciting thought.”

The Paralympic Games will take place in Paris from August 28 to September 8.