Victoria Arlen's journey on Dancing with the Stars is not an easy one, but she's powering through it this fall.
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Victoria is a 23-year-old TV personality on ESPN and former Paralympic swimmer.
Despite having no feeling in her legs and struggling with painful muscle spasms, Victoria is shining on Dancing with the Stars' 25th season and certainly defying the odds.
It probably helps Victoria that she trusts her professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy for both physical and emotional support. The couple display so much talent week to week, and their friendship behind-the-scenes is endearing.
Team Viva's experience on Dancing with the Stars hasn't been perfect, but they're heading into the semifinals with confidence, pride and gratitude.
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Below is a list of 11 facts Reality TV World has compiled about Victoria Arlen:
- Victoria was born on September 26, 1994 in Boston, Massachusetts, and she was raised in Exeter, New Hampshire.
- Victoria is a triplet and has three brothers total -- L.J., William and Cameron.
- At age 11, the lifelong swimmer and athlete fell ill with transverse myelitis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, rare conditions that left her in a four-year long coma and without use of her legs for nearly 10 years.
- When Victoria was in a coma, she could hear conversations going on in her hospital room as doctors expressed losing hope for any sort of improvement in her condition. However, with support from her family, the athlete's health improved tremendously.
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- It doesn't take much to make Victoria happy -- try a beanie, her favorite sweatshirt and a latte.
- In June 2010, Victoria returned to the pool for the first time after recovering and worked towards competing in the Olympic Games.
Two years later, she participated in four events at the London Paralympic Games in Spring 2012 and took home one Gold and three Silver medals.
- Victoria is a motivational speaker who lives by the motto: "Face it. Embrace it. Defy it. Conquer it."
- In addition to swimming, she enjoys reading, modeling, acting, fashion, sled hockey, tennis, hanging out with friends and family, movie-making, and community service.
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- Victoria has been a keynote speaker at many events, including Disney, Pfizer and Liberty, sharing her story across the country.
- Victoria is a world-record holder in the 100-meter freestyle.
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- As a TV personality, Victoria has reported for numerous sports programs -- including X-Games, Invictus Games, The ESPY Awards, Special Olympics World Games and SportsCenter.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski