Truwit credits her dream of one day swimming in the Paralympics for helping her to get back in the water and stay motivated during her recovery from trauma.

“I’ve made it a priority to focus on what I still have and what I still can do,” she told U.S. Paralympics Swimming. “The Paralympics and swimming has been invaluable in helping me to stick to that mindset as much as I can.”

While her desire to compete in the Paralympics provided motivation, Truwit’s friends and family supported her recovery. Sophie Pilkinton, a friend and Yale swimming teammate, applied a tourniquet to Truwit’s leg after the two swam 68 meters (75 yards) back to the boat to survive the attack, Truwit told WTNH News  in her home state of Connecticut.

“Knowing how to swim, and swim well, completely saved our lives,” she said.

After multiple surgeries, and with the support of family, including her mother, Jody, who also swam at Yale, and her coach, Jamie Barone, Truwit returned to the pool and resumed training. “In the beginning, I was really just trying to feel comfortable in the water again,” she told WTNH News.

To prepare for the U.S. Paralympic Swimming Trials, she swam two to four hours per day and trained outside the pool. In June, a year after losing her leg, Truwit clinched a spot on the team headed to Paris for the 2024 Paralympic Games (August 28–September 8).