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Since becoming paralyzed in January of 2008 following an epidural injection to treat back pain Mallory Weggemann has become a World class swimmer. Mallory returned to the water in April of 2008 after attending the 2008 Paralympic Swimming Trials held at the University of Minnesota as a spectator, she has been swimming ever since. Mallory started swimming competitively at age seven and after becoming paralyzed at age 18 she didn't lose sight of her love for swimming. After merely three months into her life as a paraplegic she was back in the water doing what she never thought she would do again, swim. Since that day she has not only surprised herself but everyone around her. Mallory is a 13 time World Champion and a Paralympic Gold and Bronze Medalist from the 2012 London Paralympic Games and a Paralympian from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Mallory competed in her first international competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as a member of the United States 2009 IPC Short Course World Championship team. At Worlds Mallory claimed her first international medals, five golds. She also broke six World Records and seven American Records. Mallory also competed at the 2010 IPC Swimming Long Course World Championships in the Netherlands where she won eight gold medals and one silver. Weggemann broke nine World Records and was recognized as the best performing athlete at Worlds over all. After her performance at the 2010 IPC Long Course World Championships Weggemann was awarded the 2011 ESPN ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete with a Disability. Since hearing about the Paralympic movement for the first time in 2008 Weggemann has become incredibly passionate about raising awareness to the movement and changing perceptions of disability through her work both in and out of the pool. Mallory is a motivational speaker delivering messages that are not only inspirational, but also share valuable lessons relating to adapting to change, overcoming fear and survival in the face of tremendous odds. Weggemann challenges each and everyone of us to recognize that we all have a disability and with that comes a choice, to either allow our disability to enable us or disable us.