Paralympics: Who is Morgan Stickney?

“The only limit in this world is yourself”

"Strength grows in the moments when you think you can't go on, but you keep going
anyway."

Morgan Stickney, United States swimmer at the Paralympics that resides in North Carolina, is a
dreamer whose story needs to be shared with the world.
A New Hampshire native, Morgan has always been around the water, and has shown a passion for it.
Before her amputations, Stickney was already swimming competitively by the time she was 10 years
old, and she was ranked in the top 20 nationally for the 1500m at age 15. Her life began to take an
unexpected turn when in 2013, after an event, she suffered from a fracture in the sesamoid bones,
rather small bones that are located in the tendon, having to stop swimming completely in 2016, two
years prior her amputation. From that event on, affecting many aspects and activities, pain became a
gigantic part of her day to day life, and could not be stopped by the doctors or multiple surgeries she
had to go through. At that complicated stage, Morgan began to develop an addiction to painkillers,
trying to quench it once and for all. Despite the pain, she obtained a scholarship at Biola University,
but studying became a difficult task as drugs were invading her everyday life.
“Opioid addiction is an epidemic. I didn't want that to become my life." said Morgan.

She also suffered from a staphylococcal infection or staph infection (an infection caused by members
of the Staphylococcus genus of bacteria, that commonly inhabit the skin and nose where they are
innocuous, but may enter the body through cuts or abrasions which may be nearly invisible).
In early 2018, the conjunction of those situations led her to elect to have her lower leg amputated.

Morgan's life was advancing at a rapid pace, but after all of the pain and struggles, she returned weeks
after her first amputation, to the space she considers her safe and happy place: The pool.

But in October 2019 she had her right leg amputated after an injury to her right foot led to her being
diagnosed with a rare vascular disorder, cutting off the blood supply to her foot.

"I began to feel the same, familiar pain in my right foot. I was terrified. Following an angiogram, my
doctors determined that there was a never-seen-before lack of blood flow from mid-calf down to my
foot (...) My only option was to undergo another below-the-knee amputation making me a bilateral
amputee (...) It felt as though my life just came crashing down and I wouldn't ever be able to re-build
it. Although I felt hopeless and lost, I made a promise to myself that I would get through it, remain
positive, and make the most of my situation." said Morgan in an interview.

In a later interview at the Paralympics, to contrast it with the prior fragment, she said: “Who knew 12
years ago that I would be standing here today and going to Tokyo and representing the best country in
the world?” The prior contrast shows a true lesson of courage and consistency. Like Morgan says,
“The only limit in the world, is yourself”

She later moved to North Carolina to train for the Paralympics at the Triangle Aquatic Center, with
coach John Payne, who says: “With the work she has put in, she is capable of doing what she wants
to do.”

Now, she participated in the 400- meter Freestyle, 100-meter Freestyle, 1,500-meter Freestyle at the
Paralympics, and won GOLD!
"It doesn't matter who you are -- everyone faces challenges in life," she said. "And I think it’s how
you approach those challenges. So it’s really important to have goals and dreams and not let struggles
knock you down."

Morgan is still consistent with her dreams that not only involve swimming; she wants to become a
pediatric oncologist, and pst! She's also looking forward to making an appearance in Paris, 2024.

“Never give up on those dreams and just continue working hard for the dreams. And if you put in the
work, then you can see yourself succeed.”

WORKS CITED:

- https://www.paralympic.org/morgan-stickney
- https://www.wralsportsfan.com/cary-double-amputee-swimmer-bringing-home-2-gold-
medals/19851158/
- https://www.boston.com/sports/sports-news/2021/06/30/morgan-stickney-tokyo-paralympics/
- https://medium.com/authority-magazine/unstoppable-how-award-winning-swimmer-morgan-
stickney-has-been-able-to-succeed-despite-being-a-bil-e066b9cbd2a6