TOKYO GOLD MEDAL WON BY BLIND SWIMMER!
TOKYO GOLD MEDAL WON BY BLIND SWIMMER!
Sources extrapolated by: dailymail.co.uk
The native New Yorker almost threw in the towel when she lost her sight at the age of 14. At first, she couldn’t cope with it, and thoughts of suicide were crossing her mind. Now she is the beacon of light when darkness almost claimed her. As with any upheaval, everybody reacts differently. But one thing emotion that she had to deal with was depression. She decided that the wave of darkness wouldn’t claim her life. She claimed her well-deserved honor at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo Japan. The event was the S11 400-meter freestyle event. What caused her to go blind, to begin with, is an autoimmune disease at that very early age. And like everybody else, she sought out Tik Tok and set up her account there. This happened last week.
The event was called the Paralympics where she defied the odds by becoming a champion! Her name is Anastasia Pagonis hailing from Long Island New York. She took home the gold for the S11 400-meter freestyle and won the hearts of many as well. To date, she has two million followers and growing! Her upbeat winning attitude keeps her afloat above all the competition, as well as her sense of humor. The tasks that sighted people take for granted are a challenge for the blind. Her Tik Tok channel shows that once mundane tasks that needed to be done like doing her makeup, fixing her hair, and the way she dresses demonstrates that blindless didn’t cripple her altogether. Though she is visually impaired, it’s not the end for her.
The difference between the Special Olympics and the Paralympics is that to be in the Special Olympics all athletes with mental disabilities (ages 8 and up) and different levels of ability to compete, train to participate in over 30 Olympic -style sports. But, to participate in the Paralympic Games there is a certain criterion that must be fulfilled. Definitive standards must be met first.
It was at age 11 that Anastasia. Began to see things differently, literally due to autoimmune retinopathy. This is when the immune system seeks out and attacks the proteins in the retina.
The year is 2018, she is age 14, and lost her vision completely. Depression and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome crept in like a thief in the night and she lost interest in many things that she would normally enjoy doing. She found herself sleeping the better part of the day. An extreme loss of appetite and the suicide train was rolling through her mind. She had to decide. She would wallow in self-pity or turn the lemons that she had been given into lemonade. She almost gave up on her dreams, and herself, as there was no more point to living. To come out of this funk she pushed herself with baby steps. The first challenge that she gave herself was to make a smoothie for herself, once a day. She needed to get nutrition into her body, or she would end up in the hospital.
The year is 2018, she is age 14, and lost her vision completely. Depression and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome crept in like a thief in the night and she lost interest in many things that she would normally enjoy doing. She found herself sleeping the better part of the day. An extreme loss of appetite and the suicide train was rolling through her mind. She had to decide. She would wallow in self-pity or turn the lemons that she had been given into lemonade. She almost gave up on her dreams, and herself, as there was no more point to living. To come out of this funk she pushed herself with baby steps. The first challenge that she gave herself was to make a smoothie for herself, once a day. She needed to get nutrition into her body, or she would end up in the hospital.
Her mom claims that it swimming that brings joy to Anastasia’s life more than just the medals. Anastasia claims that she feels uninhibited, free, when she’s swimming, she is at her best. Through the help of her coach Marc Danin, of the Islanders Aquatics, she took her to where she is now. She took home the first Team USA gold medal at the Paralympics in Tokyo. Recently Anastasia added another medal to her now growing collection, a bronze one in the women’s 200 medleys SM11 August 30, 2021. She wasn’t aware that she came in the first place. The way she found out was by a friend tapping the top of her bathing cap, once for first, twice for second, and three times for third. The top of the head was tapped only once. No talking was allowed by the pool area at the time. She says that if you told her a couple of years ago where she would be today, she would look at you in disbelief. She still can’t get over her opportunity. She wanted to shatter the misconceptions of what it’s like being blind. Her sense of humor helps her make it through life. Being blind is much more than using a seeing-eye dog, using a cane, and wearing sunglasses.
She loves to hear how much she has affected other people and how much of an inspiration she has become for them. She gives girls that get bullied in high school the idea that they’re not alone in their fight. The support is there just for the asking. What she has shown us is that blind can see the light at the end of the tunnel!