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>>> NOW TO A STORY OF
PERSEVERANCE IN THE POOL A YOUNG
WOMAN PARALYZED IN HER PRIME
WON'T LET A YOUNG LADY STOP HER
FROM GOING FOR THE GOLD.
JEFF OLSTON OF OUR MINNEAPOLIS
AFFILIATE HAS THE STORY.
>> Reporter: AT FIRST GLANCE,
YOU MAY NOT SEE THE DIFFERENCE
THAT MAKES MALLY DIFFERE
NT FROM
THE RACE.
IT IS NOT UNTIL MALLORY GETS OUT
OF THE POOL HER CHALLENGE IS
CLEAR.
>> THAT IS ALMOST HER BEST TIME.
>> Reporter: MALLORY CAN'T WALK.
>> SHE HAD THE SHINGLES AND
AFTER SHINGLES WENT AWAY WAS
LEFT WITH THIS OTHER, I WILL
CALL IT A DISEASE, IT WAS CALLED
POSTHIP PATTIC NEURAL GENTLEMAN,
AN INFLAMMATION WITH THE NERVES.
>> Reporter: TREATED WITH THE
EPIDURAL INJECTION.
>>> IT WOULD NUMB UP AND GO AWAY
IN THE COURSE OF AN HOUR OR TWO
THE THIRD TIME SHE HAD IT DONE
IT NUMBED UP AND NEVER UNNUMBED.
>> WE SPENT
A LOT OF TIME
RESEARCHING.
>> Reporter: NOTHING CHANGED.
>> AT SOME POINT, YOU JUST HAVE
TO LIVE YOUR LIFE.
>> Reporter: MALLY WAS DONE WITH
"WHY ME" AND READY FOR "WHAT
NOW?"
THE QUESTION BROUGHT HER HERE TO
THE U OF M AQUATIC CENTER WHERE
PARALYMPIC ATHLETES WERE IN
TRAINING FOR THE BEIJING GAMES
WHAT SHE SAW IN THE POOL MADE
THE FORMER HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMER
WONDER, COULD SHE BE COMPETITIVE
AGAIN?
WHAT 20-YEAR-OLD MALLORY AND HER
TWIN CITY TEAM COACH JIM
ANDERSON HAVE DONE IS TOTALLY
REINVENT HER SWIMMING TECHNIQUE.
>> TAKE YOUR MARK.
>> Reporter: FROM THE WAY SHE
ENTERS TO THE WATER WHO HOW
MALLORY MAKES A TURN TO WHEN SHE
TAKES A BREATH.
>> IF I CAN KEEP MY BREATH AND
HOLD IT I CAN JUST GO THROUGH
THE WATER LIKE THIS VERSUS WHEN
I BREATHE, I KIND OF TEETER TOT.
>> Reporter: NOT JUST WINNING
RACES, MALLORY'S ALREADY SETTING
PARALYMPIC RECORDS.
>> I BROKE THE 100 FLY.
>> Reporter: NO LONGER DEFINED
BY HER CHALLENGES, MALLERY
INTENDS TO BE KNOWN FOR HER
ACHIEVEMENTS.
>> I WANT THE PODIUM, I WANT A
GOLD MEDAL.
>> Reporter: DESPITE WHAT
HAPPENED TO HER, LIMITS JUST
AREN'T MALLORY'S
STYLE.
DOORS CLOSE AND DOORS OPEN BUT
YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO LISTEN
IN THE RIGHT PLACES.
>> MALLORY WEGMAN JOINS MUST
STUDIO WITH HER PARENTS, CHRIS
AND ANN.
GOOD MORNING TO ALL OF YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> MALLORY, I WANT TO START WITH
YOU, YOUR RECORDS ARE SO
IMPRESSIVE, WE HEARD ABOUT SOME
OF THEM THERE YOU CLAIM THE
WORLD PARALYMPIC RECORDS IN THE
100 FLY, 50, 200, 400 FREE
STYLE.
YOU JUST FLEW IN FROM A MEET IN
CANADA.
FORGET WHAT WE THINK, ARE YOU
SURPRISED WITH HOW MUCH YOU HAVE
BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH SO FAR?
>> A I AM.
I SET MY GOALS AND I WANTED
WORLD RECOR
DS EVENTUALLY BUT I
DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD COME THIS
SOON.
SO, I'M VERY, VERY HAPPY WITH
THIS PAST WEEKEND AND STILL KIND
OF IN A LITTLE BIT OF SHOCK.
>> A LITTLE BIT?
>> A LITTLE BIT.
>> STARTING TO SINKING IN
SLOWLY?
>> SLOWLY.
SLOWLY.
>> ANN, I WANT TO ASK YOU THIS
ORIGINALLY, DOCTORS SAID THAT
EVENTUALLY MALLORY WOULD GET
FEELING BACK INTO HER LEGS A DAY
TURNED INTO A WEEK WHICH TURNED
INTO A MONTH.
WHAT WAS THE WAITING PERIOD LIKE
FOR YOU TO WAIT AND SEE IF SHE
WOULD BE ABLE TO WALK AGAIN?
>> USUALLY EVERY NIGHT BEFORE I
WENT TO BED, I HOPED AND PRAYED
THAT IN THE MORNING, I WOULD
EITHER A GO TO HER OR WHEN SHE
WAS EVEN IN THE HOSPITAL AND
FIND THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO MOVE
AND THAT IT WASN'T REAL.
AND THEN AT SOME POINT, THE TIME
GOES ON AND YOU JUST START
THINKING ABOUT, OKAY, WHERE CAN
YOU GO FROM HERE?
AND I WANT TO MOVE FORWARD.
>> MALLORY, AFTER ABOUT THREE
MONTHS, I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE
ANGRY, YOU WERE FEELING SORRY
FOR YOURSELF, YOU DECIDED TO
JOIN YOUR SISTER AT A PARALYMPIC
SWIM MEET, THERE YOU SAID, YOU
KNOW WHAT ENOUGH OF THIS FEELING
SORRY FOR MYSELF.
I WANT TO GET BACK IN THE
WATER.
WHAT MADE YOU COME TO THAT
DECISION?
>> YOU KNOW, WHEN I WENT TO THE
MEET, I REALLY HAD NO IDEA ABOUT
THE PARAOLYMPICS AND I GOT THERE
KIND OF EXPECTING TO SEE
AMPUTEES AND OR PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES, I WASN'T EXPECTING
TO SEE A PARAPLEGIC SWIMMING.
AND WHEN I SAW THAT PARAPLEGICS
COULD SWIM, I WAS JUST -- I
WANTED BACK IN THE POOL.
I MEAN, I WENT DOWN TO MEET THE
COACHES AND WHEN I GOT ON THE
POOL DECK, I JUST -- I HAD TO
GET IN AND RACE AGAIN.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT.
AND WHEN I FINALLY GOT BACK ON
THE POOL
DECK AGAIN, I REALIZED
HOW BAD I MISSED IT.
>> YOU WERE A SWIMMER BEFORE
THIS HAPPENED.
YOU KNOW THE WATER VERY WELL?
>> YES, I DO.
>> AND DAD, CHRIS, LET ME TURN
TO YOU HERE.
WHEN MALLORY FIRST TOLD YOU THIS
SHE WANTED TO GET BACK IN THE
WATER, I UNDERSTAND YOU WERE
NERVOUS?
>> YEP.
>> YOU THOUGHT WHAT IF SHE
SINKS?
WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?
HOW SURPRISED ARE YOU THAT NOT
ONLY GET BACK IN AND DOES WELL,
LOOK WHAT SHE WAS ABLE TO DO.
>> IN SHE GOT BACK IN THAT WATER
A FIRST TIME, IT WAS
UNBELIEVABLE TO SEE IT.
AND TO THIS DAY, I STILL
THOROU
GHLY ENJOY WATCHING HER IN
THE WATER.
>> DOESN'T MAKE YOU NERVOUS AT
ALL?
>> DOESN'T MAKE ME NERVOUS, NO.
VERY, VERY WELL.
>> OKAY.
MALLORY, I KNOW YOU DREAM OF
BEING ABLE TO WALK AGAIN ONE DAY
BUT YOU DID SAY YOU WOULDN'T
CHANGE ANY OF THAT FOR WHAT'S
HAPPENED IN THE LAST YEAR AND A
HALF.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT?
WHY DO YOU FEEL THAT WAY?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK EVERYTHING
HAPPENS FOR A REASON AND BAD
THINGS HAPPEN, BUT AT THE END OF
THE DAY, I STILL DO BELIEVE THAT
THERE IS A REASON FOR ALL OF IT.
AND IF THIS WOULDN'T HAVE
HAPPENED, I WOULDN'T BE WHERE I
AM, I WOULDN'T HAVE -- PEOPLE
I'VE MET.
I MEAN, IT'S CHANGED ME
IN A LOT
OF WAYS AND, YEAH, WHAT HAPPENED
IS -- KIND OF SUCKS, YOU KNOW,
SOMETIMES BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS.
>> AND REAL QUICK, YOUR GOAL IS
TO SWIM AT THE 2012 PARALYMPIC
GAMES IN LONDON?
>> YEAH.
>> WHAT WOULD MEDALING OVER
THERE MEAN TO YOU?
>> OH, GOSH IT WOULD MEAN THE
WORLD.
I WANT THE PODIUM SO BAD.
I WANT A GOLD MEDAL.
THAT'S WHAT I WANT AND WHAT I AM
WORKING REALLY HARD AT TRYING TO
GET.
>> THE NEXT TWO YEARS ARE
ANYTHING LIKE THE LAST YEAR AND
A HALF HAS BEEN, I HAVE A LOT OF
CONFIDENCE IN YOU.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US, MELR
Y, CHRIS AND ANN