Victoria Arlen (born September 26, 1994) is an American television personality for ESPN,[2] as well as an actress, speaker, model, and former American paralympian swimmer.[3]
 Arlen on her road to recovery at Project Walk in San Diego in 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | September 26, 1994[1] Exeter, New Hampshire, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Freestyle, breaststroke | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | North Shore Sharks | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
editArlen was born in New Hampshire, USA, on September 26, 1994, as one of triplets; she has two brothers. Her father played hockey for the Quinnipiac Bobcats, and her brothers grew up playing it as well.[4]
Arlen, at the age of eleven,[5] developed two rare conditions known as transverse myelitis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. This was an extremely rare scenario, and Victoria quickly lost the ability to speak, eat, walk, and move. She slipped into a vegetative state from which recovery was thought unlikely. Arlen spent nearly four years "locked" inside her own body, completely aware of what was going on, just unable to move or communicate. Doctors believed there was little hope of survival, and recovery was unlikely.[6]
In 2010, at age 15, after almost four years, a new medication eased the seizures and Arlen began to communicate. Arlen began re-learning how to speak, eat, and move.[5]
In June 2012, after a world record-breaking performance at the 2012 Summer Paralympics US swimming trials, Arlen qualified for the 2012 Summer Paralympics held in London, as a member of Team USA. In London, she won four medals: one gold and three silver.[4]
In 2013, she was deemed not disabled enough to compete in the Paralympics because she did not provide significant proof that she has a permanent disability.[7][clarification needed]
Career
editIn April 2015, Arlen made the transition from professional athlete to sportscaster and joined ESPN as one of the youngest on-air talents hired by the company.[8]
By April 2016, she had learned to walk after spending nearly a decade paralyzed from the waist down.[5] In 2017, she reported having no sensation in her legs.[9]
On September 6, 2017, Arlen was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on the 25th season of Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with professional dancer, Valentin Chmerkovskiy.[10] The couple managed to reach the semi-finals, but was ultimately eliminated and placed fifth in the competition.
In 2020, Arlen became a co-host of American Ninja Warrior Junior for its second season, replacing Laurie Hernandez as the latter prepared for the 2020 Summer Olympics before it was postponed to 2021.[11] She is one of the co-hosts of SportsNation.
BBC Outlook Weekend related her story in an interview with Harry Graham; Arlen described being able to hear what others said while she herself could not communicate in any way during her years of the worst phases of the diseases. Strangers were often negative in their assessment of her chance of survival, which words she heard. She described the support of her family as essential in every phase of the diseases and her recovery; they never gave up on her. After a doctor tried a medication that eased the seizures she endured, she gained her first ability to respond in communication with her mother. She had loved to swim before the diseases struck; her brothers took her to a pool to restart her in swimming, well before she could walk. She took up the challenge of swimming in the Paralympics in Summer of 2012, just over a year after her brothers first put her in a pool.[12]
Personal life
editArlen is a Christian. She grew up as a Christian. When she was in her ‘locked-in’ state from her rare conditions, she prayed to God on a daily basis. She made a promise to God in prayer for her recovery.[13] She has spoken of the importance of her faith in her life.[14]
References
edit- ^ @arlenv1 (September 26, 2024). "Thirty - Flirty and Thriving 😆💖✌️⛳️ Thank you everyone near and far for all the birthday love and making me feel so freakin special ☺️🙏 Shout out to my @topgolf fam for planning such an incredible night! 🙌☺️⛳️🙏". Retrieved October 1, 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Paralympian Gold Medalist Victoria Arlen Joins ESPN as Features Reporter - ESPN MediaZone". ESPN Media Zone. December 14, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
- ^ "Victoria Arlen". Victoria Arlen. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
- ^ a b Copetas, Jeff (July 11, 2011). "Victoria Arlen". PureHockey. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ a b c Arlen, Victoria; Roenigk, Alyssa. "One small step -- My 10-year journey from a wheelchair to walking". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
- ^ "Meet the woman who was 'locked in' her own body for 4 years". TODAY.com. April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- ^ "Swimmer Is Fighting a Ruling: She Is Not Disabled Enough". The New York Times. September 26, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "Victoria Arlen". ESPN Press Room. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "'Dancing With the Stars' celeb Victoria Arlen on performing while not feeling her legs". ABC News. September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
- ^ "'Dancing With the Stars' season 25 celebrity cast: Frankie Muniz, Barbara Corcoran, Nick Lachey and more". ABC News. September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
- ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (July 8, 2019). "'American Ninja Warrior Junior' Taps Victoria Arlen as Co-Host for Season 2 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Graham, Harry (July 24, 2021). "The Paralympian who was trapped inside her body". BBC Outlook Weekend. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ^ "She Went From Despair and Near-Death to 'Dancing With The Stars'". November 2, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ Hochwald, Lambeth (August 28, 2018). "DWTS' Victoria Arlen Says 'Keep Climbing and Never Lose Hope'". Retrieved February 18, 2022.
