Knowing how to swim saved my life when I lost my foot and part of my leg in a shark attack in May of 2023.

Being able to afford prosthetics enabled me to sit, stand, walk and run again and helped me regain my life.

Through my attack and amputation, I have learned just how hard life with limb loss is, and how important a good prosthetic fit is, in terms of decreasing chronic pain and increasing mobility. I've also learned how healing and empowering para sports are. Para Swimming enabled me to focus on all I still have instead of all I've lost.

Even with good insurance, it's all so expensive- the prosthetics, the doctors, the medicines, the physical therapists, the clothes and shoes that can fit a prosthetic, the list feels endless. Life with a prosthetic is difficult enough- people living with limb loss deserve to have that be their only worry. They also deserve the chance to show themselves they're Stronger Than They Think. 

As devastating and painful as my attack and amputation was, it has taught me many things, and opened my eyes to challenges and needs and areas of growth in these communities. As I was thinking about how I could make meaning of my trauma and my new road ahead, all I had to do was look at all I have learned, and all the ways that my story, my voice and my platform could help others in similar situations- which led me to start Stronger Than You Think.