View source for Victoria Arlen

{{Short description|American sports television personality and former Paralympic swimmer (born 1994)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2015}}
{{Infobox swimmer
| name = Victoria Arlen
| image = Victoria Arlen Project Walk.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Arlen on her road to recovery at Project Walk in [[San Diego]] in 2013
| fullname =
| strokes = [[Freestyle swimming|Freestyle]], [[breaststroke]]
| club = North Shore Sharks
| collegeteam =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|09|26}}<ref>{{Cite Instagram |user=arlenv1 |date=September 26, 2024 |title=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! 🙌☺️⛳️🙏 |postid=DAa-0y5vxO1 |access-date=October 1, 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Exeter, New Hampshire]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height =
| weight =
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Women's [[swimming (sport)|swimming]]}}
{{MedalCountry | {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Paralympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[2012 Summer Paralympics|2012 London]]  | 100&nbsp;m freestyle S6 }}
{{MedalSilver| [[2012 Summer Paralympics|2012 London]]  | 400&nbsp;m freestyle S6 }}
{{MedalSilver| [[2012 Summer Paralympics|2012 London]]  | 4x100 m freestyle relay – 34 points }}
{{MedalSilver| [[2012 Summer Paralympics|2012 London]]  | 50&nbsp;m freestyle S6 }}
}}
'''Victoria Arlen'''  (born September 26, 1994) is an American television personality for [[ESPN]],<ref name=ESPNMediaZone>{{Cite web |url=http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2015/12/paralympian-gold-medalist-victoria-arlen-joins-espn-as-features-reporter/|title=Paralympian Gold Medalist Victoria Arlen Joins ESPN as Features Reporter - ESPN MediaZone|website=ESPN Media Zone |date=December 14, 2015|language=en-US|access-date=August 29, 2017}}</ref> as well as an actress, speaker, model, and former American [[Paralympics|paralympian]] swimmer.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.victoriaarlen.com/ |title=Victoria Arlen |website=Victoria Arlen |language=en-US|access-date=August 29, 2019 }}</ref>
==Early life==
Arlen 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 men's ice hockey|Quinnipiac Bobcats]], and her brothers grew up playing it as well.<ref name=Copetas2011 />
Arlen, at the age of eleven,<ref name=ESPNW>{{Cite news |last1=Arlen |first1=Victoria |last2=Roenigk |first2=Alyssa |url=http://www.espn.com/espnw/voices/article/15743440/one-small-step-my-10-year-journey-wheelchair-walking|title=One small step -- My 10-year journey from a wheelchair to walking|work=[[ESPN.com]]|access-date=September 19, 2017}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.today.com/video/meet-the-woman-who-was-locked-in-her-own-body-for-4-years-1218779203939|title=Meet the woman who was 'locked in' her own body for 4 years |work=TODAY.com|date=April 25, 2018 |access-date=April 28, 2018}}</ref>
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.<ref name=ESPNW/>
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 [[United States at the 2012 Summer Paralympics#Multiple medallists|four medals]]: one gold and three silver.<ref name=Copetas2011>{{cite web |url=http://www.purehockey.com/blog/victoria-arlen-and-lyme-disease |title=Victoria Arlen |work=PureHockey |first=Jeff |last=Copetas |date=July 11, 2011 |access-date=September 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711230741/http://www.purehockey.com/blog/victoria-arlen-and-lyme-disease |archive-date=July 11, 2012 |url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Swimmer Is Fighting a Ruling: She Is Not Disabled Enough |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/sports/swimmer-is-fighting-a-ruling-she-is-not-disabled-enough.html |work=The New York Times |date=September 26, 2013 |access-date=November 11, 2020}}</ref>{{Clarify|date=August 2023}}
==Career==
In 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Victoria Arlen |url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/victoria-arlen/ |work=ESPN Press Room |access-date=November 11, 2020}}</ref>
By April 2016, she had learned to walk after spending nearly a decade paralyzed from the waist down.<ref name=ESPNW/> In 2017, she reported having no sensation in her legs.<ref>{{cite news |title='Dancing With the Stars' celeb Victoria Arlen on performing while not feeling her legs |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/dancing-stars-victoria-arlen-performing-feeling-legs/story?id=50085545 |work=ABC News |date=September 26, 2017 |access-date=September 21, 2018}}</ref>
On September 6, 2017, Arlen was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on the [[Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 25)|25th season]] of ''[[Dancing with the Stars (U.S. TV series)|Dancing with the Stars]]''. She was partnered with professional dancer, [[Valentin Chmerkovskiy]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/dancing-stars-season-25-celebrity-cast-frankie-muniz/story?id=49603734 |title='Dancing With the Stars' season 25 celebrity cast: Frankie Muniz, Barbara Corcoran, Nick Lachey and more |work=ABC News |date=September 6, 2017 |access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title='American Ninja Warrior Junior' Taps Victoria Arlen as Co-Host for Season 2 (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/american-ninja-warrior-junior-taps-victoria-arlen-as-host-1222824 |date=July 8, 2019 |first=Kimberly |last=Nordyke |access-date=June 25, 2020 |work=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en}}</ref> She is one of the co-hosts of ''[[SportsNation (TV program)|SportsNation]]''.
BBC ''[[Outlook (radio programme)|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09q7hnr |last=Graham |first=Harry |work=BBC Outlook Weekend |title=The Paralympian who was trapped inside her body |date=July 24, 2021 |access-date=July 25, 2021 }}</ref>
==Personal life==
Arlen is a [[Christianity|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.<ref>{{cite web |title=She Went From Despair and Near-Death to 'Dancing With The Stars' |date=November 2, 2017 |url=https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2017/november/she-went-from-despair-and-near-death-to-dancing-with-the-stars |access-date=18 February 2022}}</ref> She has spoken of the importance of her faith in her life.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hochwald |first1=Lambeth |title=DWTS' Victoria Arlen Says 'Keep Climbing and Never Lose Hope' |date=August 28, 2018 |url=https://parade.com/694206/lhochwald/espns-victoria-arlen-shares-her-incredible-health-journey-in-locked-in/ |access-date=18 February 2022}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
*{{Official website|https://www.victoriaarlen.com}}
*{{IMDb name}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arlen, Victoria}}
[[Category:1994 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century American sportswomen]]
[[Category:American Christians]]
[[Category:American disabled sportspeople]]
[[Category:American female freestyle swimmers]]
[[Category:ESPN people]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics]]
[[Category:Paralympic gold medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:Paralympic medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Paralympic silver medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:Paralympic swimmers for the United States]]
[[Category:Participants in American reality television series]]
[[Category:People from Exeter, New Hampshire]]
[[Category:People who awoke from permanent coma like states]]
[[Category:S6-classified para swimmers]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Rockingham County, New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Paralympics]]
[[Category:Swimmers from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Swimmers from New Hampshire]]
[[Category:World record holders in paralympic swimming]]