In Their Words: Ali Truwit — Shark Attack Survivor | 1

Summary

Against The Odds: In Their Words – Ali Truitt — Shark Attack Survivor

In the gripping first episode of Against The Odds, hosted by Mike Corey from Wondery, listeners are introduced to the harrowing yet inspiring true story of Ali Truitt, a young woman whose life took a dramatic turn following a shark attack. This detailed summary captures the essence of Ali’s journey from a thriving college athlete to a resilient survivor and Paralympic competitor.

Background: A Promising Future

[00:00 - 01:18]
Mike Corey sets the stage by introducing Ali Truitt, a 22-year-old Yale graduate who was excelling in her competitive swimming career. With her first marathon completed and a promising job offer in New York City, Ali felt "on top of the world" (Ali Truitt, [01:18]).

The Shark Attack: A Sudden Nightmare

[01:23 - 09:50]
A few days post-graduation, Ali and her friend Sophie Pilkington embarked on a celebratory snorkeling trip to Turks and Caicos. What was meant to be a relaxing day quickly turned into a life-threatening ordeal.

[08:16 - 08:42]
Ali recounts the terrifying moment: “We were leisurely floating... and that is when, seemingly out of nowhere, this shark appeared” ([08:16]).

[08:45 - 09:50]
The attack was swift and brutal. Ali describes the shark ramming them and ultimately biting off her left foot: “pretty quickly after that, it had my leg in its mouth... my leg with just flesh at the end and a cloud of red around it” (Ali Truitt, [08:45]). Despite severe injuries and the absence of immediate assistance, Ali’s competitive spirit kicked in, urging her to "just get to the boat" ([09:50]).

Immediate Aftermath: Medical Response and Evacuation

[10:24 - 14:02]
After a frantic swim back to the boat, Sophie and Ali received assistance from a first responder named Matthew. Onboard, Sophie applied a tourniquet while Matthew helped keep Ali conscious, asking her, “What’s your thesis about?” to distract her from the pain (Ali Truitt, [10:54]).

Ali was then airlifted to Miami, enduring excruciating pain without excessive medication to stay alert for medical decisions. She describes the torment: “pain of where the shark had bit and my open leg... the tourniquet... so painful” (Ali Truitt, [14:02]).

Hospitalization and Surgery: Facing Harsh Realities

[14:35 - 19:12]
Upon arrival at Rider Trauma Center, Ali finally reunited with her parents, which brought her to tears for the first time since the attack: “...surrounded by people who love me... I could cry in that moment” (Ali Truitt, [16:48]).

Medical professionals informed her that reattaching her foot was impossible and emphasized the risk of infection: “We need to save your life first” ([17:35]). Ali underwent emergency surgeries, culminating in a trans tibial amputation on her 23rd birthday, marking a profound moment of loss and fear about her future (Ali Truitt, [19:12]).

Rehabilitation: Physical and Emotional Struggles

[20:11 - 24:02]
Returning home to Connecticut, Ali faced intense physical pain and emotional grief. She struggled with body image issues and trauma-induced flashbacks, particularly associated with water: “The sound of water... trigger[ing] flashbacks” (Ali Truitt, [22:14]).

Despite these challenges, Ali’s athletic mindset emerged. She engaged in rigorous physical therapy, relearning basic movements and gradually adapting to her prosthetic. Her determination was evident as she celebrated every small victory: “We celebrated every small win” (Ali Truitt, [20:51]).

Reigniting the Passion: Returning to the Water

[26:18 - 32:00]
Six weeks post-attack, Ali made a significant step by getting back into the water with the support of her family. This return was fraught with pain and flashbacks, but also moments of hope and joy: “There are those tiny moments where this feels good” (Ali Truitt, [26:18]).

Determined to reclaim her athletic prowess, Ali aimed for the Paralympics. Despite facing physical setbacks like an infection, she set ambitious goals. Her first major achievement came at a swim meet in Georgia, where she qualified for the US Nationals, showcasing remarkable adaptability by altering her techniques to accommodate her prosthetic ([30:16]).

Paralympic Success: Triumph Over Trauma

[33:17 - 38:52]
At the Paralympic Trials in Minneapolis, Ali pushed beyond her limits. She excelled in the 100 backstroke, setting an American record, and continued her streak by winning the 100 freestyle despite exhaustion and the absence of her left foot. Her perseverance paid off when she was announced as a member of the 2024 Paris Paralympic swim team: “...a mix of pride and overwhelming gratitude” (Ali Truitt, [34:05]).

In Paris, Ali competed with unwavering determination despite encountering triggers reminiscent of her attack, such as the pool’s large camera. Utilizing her coping strategies, she focused on her races, eventually earning two silver medals and setting new American records in both her main events (Ali Truitt, [38:21]).

Reflection and Advocacy: Building a Legacy

[38:52 - 40:36]
Ali’s journey didn’t end with her athletic achievements. She founded Stronger Than You Think, a foundation aimed at helping women and girls afford prosthetics and supporting Paralympic athletes. Reflecting on her experiences, Ali emphasizes resilience and the hidden strength within everyone: “You’re stronger than you think” (Ali Truitt, [40:01]).

Her transformation from someone who once distrusted her new body image to confidently posing for Sports Illustrated serves as a powerful testament to her recovery and unwavering spirit.

Conclusion: A Story of Resilience and Hope

Ali Truitt’s story, as shared in her own words, exemplifies the extraordinary human capacity to overcome unimaginable adversity. Through relentless determination, support from loved ones, and a deep-seated love for swimming, Ali not only survived a brutal shark attack but also turned her trauma into a beacon of hope for others. Her message, “You’re stronger than you think,” resonates deeply, inspiring listeners to find their own resilience in the face of life’s toughest challenges.

For more information about Ali Truitt’s journey and her foundation, visit strongerthanyouthink.org. Additionally, Ali has an upcoming documentary and book project, along with a featured photo spread in Sports Illustrated, further chronicling her inspiring path.

---

Produced By:
Peter A.R. Cooney and Pauly Stryker
Executive Producers:
Jenny Lauer Beckman, Stephanie Jens Marshall, Louie and Erin O' Flaherty for Wondery
Original Theme Music:
Scott Velasquez and 2K for Freeze on Sync Series

---

This summary excludes advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections to focus solely on Ali Truitt’s compelling story of survival and triumph.

Transcript

[Mike Corey]

Wondery subscribers can listen to against the Odds early and ad free right now. Join Wondery in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts from Wondery. I'm Mike Corey and this is against the Odds. On this show we tell the true stories of people who sometimes out of nowhere, are confronted with life or death situations. People who in the face of incredible obstacles, must find a way to dig deep to survive. And sometimes we get to hear from these survivors themselves in their own words. We've heard from people who've been bitten by rattlesnakes, fallen off cliffs or or been stranded in the desert. And in this episode we'll hear from someone who found herself fighting for her life after being attacked by a shark. In May of 2023, 22 year old Ali Truitt was riding the high of a competitive college swimming career. She'd just graduated from Yale, completed her first marathon, and had a job lined up in New York City for the fall.

[Ali Truitt]

I just think back to that time of just this time where I felt like I was on top of the world.

[Mike Corey]

But just a few days after graduation, Ali was snorkeling with a friend off Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean when all that changed.

[Ali Truitt]

We had been snorkeling for about 30 minutes when seemingly out of nowhere, this shark appeared. Pretty quickly after that, it had my leg in its mouth.

[Mike Corey]

Today, Ali Truitt is here to share her story, her fight for survival, and how the journey to reclaim her love of the water pushed her further than she could have ever imagined.

[Ali Truitt]

I would be in these massive bouts of pain and I would just repeat, I can and I will. I can and I will.

[Mike Corey]

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[Mike Corey]

The love of water runs deep in.

[Ali Truitt]

Ali Truett's family My earliest memories of swimming start when I was really, really young. I grew up on the water on the Long Island Sound, and I am one of four. I have three brothers. From a really early age, my mom stressed the importance of being water safe, so we were put in swim lessons. And when I think back to those days, I remember just immediately falling in love with the water. I loved baths and pools and oceans and showers and I just never wanted to get out the water. Just kind of felt like this place that I was always happy and I was joyful in. I felt free and light and unburdened by anything else that I had going on or was worried about in my life.

[Mike Corey]

Pretty soon, Alli's love for swimming grew into a drive to compete as the.

[Ali Truitt]

Only girl with three brothers. It's kind of survival of the fittest. You have to be competitive to kind of get your word in there. And so I've always had that mindset of loving competing and wanting to win and push myself. I grew up playing, playing a ton of sports. I tried everything ballet, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, basketball. And for me, swimming kind of remained as that true love.

[Mike Corey]

In high school, Allie dedicated herself to training 15 to 20 hours a week with the goal of getting into a Division 1 college swimming program.

[Ali Truitt]

I loved the grind and the journey to my goals and the way that I had shown myself that I had way more in me than I thought.

[Mike Corey]

The hard work paid off. Allie got into Yale, where her mom had been captain of the women's varsity team. She quickly found her groove in the pool.

[Ali Truitt]

I gravitated naturally towards distance swimming and clicking into a consistent pace and hitting it over and over and over again. I swam the mile, I swam the thousand freestyle, the 500 freestyle. It's like a joke because people say I'm like super sweet on deck and then like when I dive in, it's go time and I'm competing and I want to get my hand on the wall first. One of my least favorite things is finishing a race and think I had more to give. That's your time to throw everything you have at what you're competing at. You've trained for it, you've put in that work, you've woken up at 5am, you've done lifts, you've gone to practice, you've sacrificed hanging out with friends and whatever it is. And so I just want to give everything I have, whatever race it is.

[Mike Corey]

But after two successful seasons with the team, Ali was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease and an autoimmune condition that causes extreme fatigue and muscle weakness.

[Ali Truitt]

It was a really, really hard time for me that took way more out of me than I ever expected, mentally and physically.

[Mike Corey]

At the end of her junior year, Alli made the decision to retire from competitive swimming.

[Ali Truitt]

That was an incredibly hard decision that took a lot of time and honestly led to a lot of tears. But I'm a big mantra person, and one of the quotes that I love is, you can't control the cards you're dealt. You can just control how you play them.

[Mike Corey]

So Allie focused on her health and cheered her teammates on from the sidelines. In her spare time, she started running.

[Ali Truitt]

And I loved running. And so by the end of my senior year, I had actually set a goal with my mom to run a marathon.

[Mike Corey]

A week before her college graduation, Ali achieved that goal.

[Ali Truitt]

My mom and I ran a marathon together on Mother's Day, which was so special. And so I just felt like I was on this high of just, like, the most fun wrap up to an incredible college experience.

[Mike Corey]

On May 22, 2023, Ali graduated from Yale. The next day, Ali and her friend Sophie Pilkington boarded a plane to Turks and Caicos, a small island chain near the Bahamas.

[Ali Truitt]

Sophie was actually the captain of the Yale swim team my freshman year, and we had become incredibly close friends. We were taking the celebratory trip for my graduation from Yale and her graduation from medical school. We had worked so hard that it was like this kind of break and release to just breathe and have fun and relax and tan in the sun.

[Mike Corey]

On the morning of May 24, 2023, the two friends awoke in paradise. They worked out and then planned to go snorkeling in the afternoon.

[Ali Truitt]

So the boat ride out there, I feel like both of us were in a state of just, like, pure joy. Like, Sophie and I were so happy to be there and in the sunshine and staring at clear blue waters and enjoying each other and our friendship and cherishing that. We put on our snorkeling gear and jumped in the water.

[Mike Corey]

Allie and Sophie explored the water for about 30 minutes. They saw a few fish, but not much else, so they decided to head back to the boat.

[Ali Truitt]

We were leisurely floating around as we were deciding to go back, because both of us love the water, and it's fun to float in salt water and feel so light and free. And that is when, seemingly out of nowhere, this shark appeared. Sophie saw it first, and she screamed my name. And it took me a moment to realize what she was pointing at or screaming. You know, that's never where your mind goes immediately. So at first I thought she was, like, pointing out a cool fish, but.

[Mike Corey]

Then she quickly realized it was a shark.

[Ali Truitt]

The next thing I knew, it was underneath us, it was bumping us, it was ramming us, and we were doing our best to kick and shove back and fight, and you could feel its aggression, like it wanted to fight. And we were doing everything we could to survive. And in that moment, that was fighting back pretty quickly after that, it had my leg in its mouth. And then the next thing I knew, my leg had been bitten off. One of the hardest images that stuck in my mind was that I paused because I realized I didn't have a foot. Like, I was like, am I crazy, or do I not have a foot right now? And I turned around to check, and I have this image of crystal clear blue water, and then my leg with just flesh at the end and a cloud of red around it. Just such a harrowing image to think about a foot that you've seen for 22 years of your life and to see your leg with nothing there. We screamed for help, but no help came. So we made the split second decision to swim for our lives back to the boat, which was roughly 75 yards away in the open ocean water. And I was bleeding profusely and footless. And Sophie and I both knew that a shark was still circling us. Sophie is such an incredible and selfless friend that she's staying with me. And so if I don't get back to the boat, Sophie's not getting back either. We needed to save ourselves. We knew that I was at risk of bleeding out and dying. We knew that I was at risk of passing out in the water. And we threw our snorkels and we sprinted towards the boat. All I repeated to myself over and over was, just get to the boat. Just get to the boat.

[Mike Corey]

While Allie and Sophie raced to get out of the water, the shark again swam toward them. Thankfully, this time, it didn't attack. When they finally pulled themselves aboard. Sophie's medical school training kicked in immediately.

[Ali Truitt]

We were on the boat. The first thing Sophie said was like, do we have a tourniquet? We need the tourniquet. And to tie a tourniquet on your footless, bleeding friend's leg. I just can't even comprehend what she did in that moment.

[Mike Corey]

In addition to Sophie, a first responder from a nearby boat came to help.

[Ali Truitt]

He had been a snorkeling guide on another boat and had seen us screaming for help. And he actually tried to swim to us, but we got to the boat first because we're doing swimmers, I guess, and he was so critical. So Sophie was holding my leg and keeping compression and elevating it. And the first responder, Matthew, was keeping me calm and conscious and he was asking me questions about my thesis and about the marathon. And I knew that I needed to stay calm. Like, I knew that if I cry and panic and scream, all that was gonna do was put me at more risk. And so I worked really hard to calm myself and to stay conscious during that boat ride back to the dock. I think I knew that I was in danger of dying.

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[Ali Truitt]

Could you submit your expenses this week?

[Progressive Insurance]

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[Ali Truitt]

Are you by your desk right now?

[Mike Corey]

Finance teams, you shouldn't be chasing down Carl or anyone else with ramp expenses are sent with a text and reminders happen automatically. Switch your business to ramp.com today and love finance again. On May 24, 2023, in the waters off Turks and Caicos, 22 year old Ally Truitt was attacked by a large shark. Thanks to her years of competitive swimming, Ally made it back to the boat despite losing her left foot in the attack. But she was still in critical condition. When Allie and her friend Sophie arrived at the dock, an ambulance met them.

[Ali Truitt]

Sophie got in the ambulance with me and she rode the entire bumpy ride back with me to the hospital.

[Mike Corey]

Once they got to the hospital, Allie called her parents to tell them what happened.

[Ali Truitt]

So I got on the phone and I said, mom, I, I, and I kept repeating, I, I tried to tell her what had happened, but I knew that if I said the words I've been attacked by a shark, that I was gonna pass out. I knew that I couldn't say it. And so Sophie took the phone and told my mom what had happened. And my mom started crying on the phone with me, saying, I'm so sorry this has happened. And I said back to her, don't cry. Like, we're not crying yet. We can't yet. Like, we're trying to stay conscious and alert and calm and we just need to make a plan.

[Mike Corey]

Ali's family and friends immediately began working to get her off the island to a hospital that could treat her back in the US but it was going to take time. They'd need to find a plane and a crew and get her passport from the hotel. In the meantime, Allie's pain was becoming unbearable.

[Ali Truitt]

I was in massive amounts of pain, pain that I have never known before. I had asked to not have too much initial medication just because I knew that my family wasn't with me. And so I needed to be alert for, for those medical decisions. And so the pain was so, so great. There was the pain of where the shark had bit and my open leg, and then there was the pain of the tourniquet. They had tied a tourniquet on me so tight to stop the bleeding, which of course was needed, but was so painful because it was cutting off all blood flow and circulation beneath where they had tied it. At times I was like, I don't know if the tourniquet is more painful or if the actual bite is more painful. And I remember being on the phone with my mom and being like, I can't do this.

[Mike Corey]

Ali's mom is a cognitive behavioral therapist. She stayed on the phone with Allie for hours, coaching her daughter through the waves of pain.

[Ali Truitt]

I did box breathing a lot where you'd breathe in for three, hold for three, and breathe out. And that really helped me. And then we also did tons of mantras. So I can and I will was a really, really big one for me. And I would just repeat I can and I will, I can and I will. Every time that I would be in these massive bouts of pain and it would, like, ramp up again, we would say, this too shall pass. This too shall pass. And my mom would say, let it wash over you. It will pass. It will pass.

[Mike Corey]

After six grueling hours in the island hospital, the plane was ready to medevac alley to Miami. Sophie wasn't allowed on board, so Allie would have to take the three and a half hour flight alone.

[Ali Truitt]

And so my mom left a voicemail with the mantras with I can and I will, I can and I will. And so that whole flight where I wasn't sure if I was going to survive, I wasn't sure what was going to happen to me. I was not with any friends or family. I was able to repeat those mantras to myself.

[Mike Corey]

Allie arrived at Rider trauma center in Miami around midnight. She was finally able to see her parents and could finally let her guard down.

[Ali Truitt]

When I was able to be around my parents was the first time I cried since the shark attack, because at that moment, I was surrounded by people who love me, who were family, who were going to take care of me. And I knew that I could. I could cry in that moment.

[Mike Corey]

But Allie wasn't out of the woods yet by any stretch. Experts can't say for sure what type of shark attacked her, but some think it could have been a bull shark. While shark attacks are incredibly rare, bulls have a reputation for being one of the more aggressive and dangerous species to humans and are known for their bump and bite behavior. The shark that attacked Allie severed her foot and part of her lower leg. Miraculously, her foot had been found still in its flipper, and Ali was hanging onto the hope that it could be reattached.

[Ali Truitt]

The doctor quickly reoriented us to say that was not a possibility and that first of all, before we even think about saving your leg, we need to save your life. And that is where everyone's mind needs to be. There is infection risk from the ocean, from shark bacteria, and if that travels up, that has the potential to kill. And hearing that puts things in perspective.

[Mike Corey]

Quickly, Ali needed emergency surgery.

[Ali Truitt]

He told me on top of that, there's a 50% chance you wake up and your entire leg is gone because we don't know what we're going to find when we go into surgery. I think about those moments as just like in addition to worrying if I was going to survive, there were fears of is my leg still going to be there when I wake up from surgery?

[Mike Corey]

Allie had blood transfusions and two life saving surgeries in Miami to stabilize her. But doctors recommended a third surgery, a trans tibial amputation. It would mean Allie would lose more of her leg, everything halfway below her knee. But it would also mean a life of less pain and more mobility with a prosthesis.

[Ali Truitt]

Those first two surgeries when I wasn't sure how much of my leg I was going to keep, I was so focused on keeping as much as I could. Like I was just like, please keep as much as you can. I want as much of my leg as I can have. And now the decision is actually take another part away to improve my life. It was such a hard decision to be like, take more of my leg away when I've already feel like I've lost so much.

[Mike Corey]

In the end. Allie decided to have the surgery. On May 31, seven days after the attack, doctors in New York perform performed the amputation. It was her 23rd birthday.

[Ali Truitt]

I think back to those days and I was so fearful and so worried and so concerned and so unclear about what my future looked like in that moment. Like I truthfully didn't even know I was taking my next step. I thought about all of the big heavy questions immediately. So was I going to be able to run again? I had just run a marathon. I don't have a foot anymore. Was I going to be able to walk? How was I going to walk? Was it going to be a lifetime of pain? When I had children and I was older, could I run after my children on a prosthetic? Could I carry my baby down the stairs if I can't do stairs well on a prosthetic? A million questions about being an athlete, about being a mother, about my own body image. Sitting in that hospital bed wondering about what this future was going to look like. It was really hard to envision a happy and bright future for myself at that time. Like I had no answers to any of these questions.

[Mike Corey]

After the surgery, Allie returned to her parents house in Connecticut to begin her rehab.

[Ali Truitt]

I got home and pulling up the driveway, my driveway was lined with posters from friends and family and balloons and flowers. All inside. And I just remember that, like, in this experience where I was so overwhelmed and over my head over what my life was going to look like, it was this just, like, huge reminder of the incredible support system that I had with me. I am not a naturally vulnerable person, and so learning to let people be there for me through my tears and my hard times and sad times and pain was something I had to learn to do, but something that I'm so grateful that I did because it made a world of difference to have all that support.

[Mike Corey]

Still, Ali faced a tough road to recovery.

[Ali Truitt]

Those early weeks, I was in massive pain. I was incredibly sad and grieving the loss of my leg. And because of night terrors and flashbacks to the attack, I was not sleeping really at all at night. And that was really, really hard. And the pain would get worse at night, and that was really hard. There were days where I spent the entire day crying on a couch.

[Mike Corey]

But the competitor in Allie began to surface.

[Ali Truitt]

I think probably driven by life as an athlete and in the sport, I knew that I had it in me to continue to physically fight to stay strong. And so I was doing three physical therapy sessions a week. In those early days, I had to relearn everything. We would spend, like an hour of physical therapy, literally laying on a bed and trying to extend my legs straight as far as I could. Relearning how to do the simplest of movements with no new nerve endings and new muscle attachments took hours. Anything that touched my leg, like a gust of wind, would send what felt like electric shocks throughout my leg and would create all this pain. And so I had to start by rubbing a fuzzy blanket on my leg for like 10 minutes of physical therapy to get the nerves adjusted. And then we graduated to a towel. We slowly built up so that my leg could be touched by different textures and be okay.

[Mike Corey]

In addition to her physical recovery, Allie was still struggling with the loss of.

[Ali Truitt]

Her limb as a 23 year old girl. Just the body image pain in those early weeks, like, I would stare at myself in the mirror and be like, I'm so ugly now. No one will ever find me attractive like this and no one's ever going to want to date me. I gave my parents all my short skirts and short dresses and I was like, take them to Goodwill. Take them to the basement. I'm never wearing them again because no one's going to see my prosthetic leg. Like, I can't do that.

[Mike Corey]

Just looking at her amputated leg was incredibly difficult for Ali.

[Ali Truitt]

Across the three hospitals, not once until the day I left. Did I look at my amputated leg? I would wear a sleeping eye mask in the hospital when the doctors would come in so that I didn't have to look. So I started in that place of like, I won't even look at it. And then I had to grow. I literally would practice just looking at my leg for 30 seconds. And then when I would sit on a couch, if my leg hung straight down, the blood rush was so painful. And so we would time like 14 seconds of me hanging my leg off the couch. To think back now and think that we were celebrating me hanging my leg for 12 seconds is crazy, but we celebrated every small win in those early days just to help me kind of get to a place where I could grow from there.

[Mike Corey]

Ali was making strides in rehab, but even so, the trauma of the shark attack was never far away.

[Ali Truitt]

The sound of water, even taking a shower would trigger flashbacks. And for me that was really hard because I was like, have I lost my love of the water? Is that gone with this too? Like, I've lost my foot and now I've lost something that I've loved my entire life. And this safe space and happy place and free place for me is now gone too.

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[Mike Corey]

Ali Truitt still had a long way to go to recover from the shark attack that took her left foot and part of her left leg. She had gone from being excited about living the Life of a 20 something in New York City to needing crutches and a walker just to get around her parents house. She looked forward to getting a prosthetic leg because she knew it could help her regain some independence. She also wanted to swim again.

[Ali Truitt]

I felt like I had lost a lot in the attack and things that I was never going to get back. So my foot, I'm never getting my foot back. But there were also things that I had lost that I knew I could fight to reclaim. And my love of the water stuck out to me as a big one. That was going to take work and take pain and tears and flashbacks and all of it, but that I could fight to reclaim or at the very least try.

[Mike Corey]

So six weeks after the attack, Allie got back into the water for the first time in her family's backyard swimming pool.

[Ali Truitt]

We put a floaty around me because we were unsure physically what was going to happen. Like the temperature of water and all of that would make my leg super painful and get all these like shocks and then emotionally was the sound of water going to trigger like just total flashback to the attack. I started slowly, like just put my foot in and slowly got myself in. And there were moments where it was really hard and I had flashbacks and I had panic and terror. And there were also what I call glimmers of hope where I had the joy and the peace and the water again. It was what kept me getting back in and saying, hey, maybe I can get this back. Like there are those tiny moments where this feels good and maybe I can fight to keep going.

[Mike Corey]

After getting comfortable in her parents pool, Allie wanted a bigger challenge. She wanted to train for real. But that meant going to a bigger.

[Ali Truitt]

Pool, which of course was really hard because the pool is a place where you're completely exposed. You don't wear your prosthetic in the pool. So I had to make the decision that I was going to go and let people see my amputated leg. In reality, what that looked like at the start is that I would crouch over to the pool in sweatpants and I would wait until I literally sat the on on the ledge of the pool and like, scramble to take my sweatpants off and give them to my mom and get right in the pool. And then right when I got out, she'd stand poolside and hand me the sweatpants. So it was a process there too. It wasn't like I just decided everyone was gonna see it. And that was great. But it was something where I said, I wanna work out and this is what I'm gonna have to sacrifice to get in the water and run some sets.

[Mike Corey]

Ali called up her old high school coach to see if he would help her train.

[Ali Truitt]

I truthfully was really nervous about it. I called him and I was like, is this something you'd be okay coming back to coach me and run me through some sets just for a workout, just to let me feel strong and get some exercise in? And he said, absolutely. I am so thankful that he said yes.

[Mike Corey]

Around the same time, Ali started to connect with Paralympians.

[Ali Truitt]

Noelle Lambert is a Paralympian in track and field. And she basically ended up having a phone call with me. And she said, when I lost my leg in the hospital, I decided I was going to the Paralympics. And she's like, it has been such a strength giver to me and such an incredible community to come into. And I don't know if this is too early to be telling you because it was like a month in at that point, but think about it like, you are a college athlete. Just think about this. I was like, there are so many questions in my mind right now that, like, that is not on the table for me at this moment.

[Mike Corey]

So Ali put the idea aside. She was progressing with her rehab and looking forward to starting the post college consulting job. She had lined up for October, but then she got an infection in her leg that forced her to take a break from her prosthetic.

[Ali Truitt]

Once I got that infection, I was like, I don't want to go into work on crutches on one leg. And so I'm going to delay my start date to let myself heal. And in that period of time, I had this moment where I had a happy what if?

[Mike Corey]

Allie thought maybe the extra time off would give her more time to train and that maybe the idea of going to the Paralympics next summer wasn't so far fetched after all.

[Ali Truitt]

I always have what ifs that end negatively. Like, what if I do bad? What if I fail? What if I can't do it? I never have, like, those really exciting, like, hey, what if I could make the Paralympics in less than a year and go swim and compete like so. The thought that it was this exciting what if, this hopeful what if was exciting in itself to me.

[Mike Corey]

Allie knew to even have a chance of making Team USA for the 2024 Paris Paralympics, she'd need to compete in US Nationals that December. And in order to swim at Nationals, she'd first need to qualify.

[Ali Truitt]

Where that landed me was that three and a half months out from the attack and amputation, I needed to be at this swim meet in Georgia to get my nationals cuts. At that point, I just kind of decided that if I want to leave the door open for myself, I. I needed to try. I went to that meet, and I had no clue how to get on the starting blocks on one foot and one leg. And I had to change my breathing pattern because I no longer had the stability from a left foot to kick down. And so something I'd done for, I don't know, 17 years of my life in competitive swimming, I now had to completely change.

[Mike Corey]

But Allie pushed through, and her times were good enough to make nationals.

[Ali Truitt]

My whole life at that point was a head spin of where am I? And now I'm at a meet and what's going on? But I also left feeling so hopeful, and the community there showing me what was still possible and what I still had and what I could still do and the strength I could gain from them felt really encouraging and like a space I wanted to try to return to. And so I decided that in those months where I was recovering from infection, I was going to train and I was going to see where I landed at Nationals. And I was always in awe of the strength and the courage and the mental fortitude that Paralympians have. I don't think I ever truly realized how incredibly fast they are. To qualify for the Paralympics, I had to swim times that were close to my Division 1, times that I was recruited to Yale to swim with. And I did those with two legs, and now I needed to do them with one.

[Mike Corey]

Ali placed surprisingly well at nationals.

[Ali Truitt]

The.

[Mike Corey]

The final hurdle would be the Paralympic Trials in Minneapolis that June.

[Ali Truitt]

I walked into trials, of course, with the goal of making it, but also with the knowledge that I was a completely different person than the girl who started crying on her couch, hiding her leg, not seeing a future. Forward to this girl fighting for a spot to represent her country at the Paralympic Games. My main events that I was focused on were the hunter back stroke, the 400 freestyle, and the 100 freestyle. And the first day was 100 backstroke, and I ended up getting first place in that and breaking an American record in the morning and then again in finals at night. The coolest thing about that race actually for me is that that time that I swam was faster than I had ever swum that race with two feet. So that was a really cool for me to think that I just did something with one foot that I didn't even do with two.

[Mike Corey]

But winning races wasn't necessarily enough for Allie to qualify for the Paralympics. Her times needed to be close to third in the world to make Team usa. So on the second day of competition, Allie had to keep pushing. Her final race was the hundred freestyle.

[Ali Truitt]

I lose significant time off of starts and turns and I also, in sprint races where a big powerful kick is really important, I was at a deficit because I don't have a left foot. And so that was one of those races where I was racing someone who did. I was really tired from the 400 free that I had raced less than an hour before. But I dove in and I flipped at the halfway mark and she was ahead of me, but I knew I was within reach and I wanted to give it everything I had. So I put my head down and I, I just dug deep and I encouraged myself with positive self talk, telling myself that, like, there was more in there for me to give. And that was a fun comeback race.

[Mike Corey]

Alli won the hundred freestyle. Then came the announcement of the 2024 Paralympic swim team roster.

[Ali Truitt]

The way they announced the team was they went men first, then women, and in alphabetical order, Truett Falls kind of near the end there. So I sat in anticipation for quite some time waiting to hear my name be called. But once it was, I was so excited and I felt this mix of pride and overwhelming gratitude. And I think to look at my journey and reflect on how far I had come, I felt really proud of myself for the fight that I had put up and for all that I had worked to show myself I could still do. Everything I achieved at that meet is on the shoulders of so, so much support. Big things, small things, little messages, positive DMs or comments on an Instagram, a letter like it all moves the person forward. And so in that moment when I heard my name being called, it was just like a movie screen of just all the people who had been there for me and all the support that had taken me to that point where I was getting to sit there and hear my name be called. For the 2024 Paris Games in August.

[Mike Corey]

Ali arrived at the Olympic village in Paris for the opening ceremony.

[Ali Truitt]

Opening ceremonies was an incredible moment for me to think that, like, a year prior, at that time, I was learning how to walk in a prosthetic, and now I was getting to walk down the Champs Elysees par Olympian. So just so much joy and excitement coupled with, obviously, nerves. I had been selected to represent my country. I wanted to perform, I wanted to do well. I wanted to be in a position where I was ready to show what I had worked for.

[Mike Corey]

Alli had competed in some big meets in college, but nothing could have prepared her for Paris.

[Ali Truitt]

We had 20,000 fans and sold out crowds, the lights, the music, the energy, the support. It was so different than college and the pressure that comes with 20,000 fans and the mental load that Paralympic athletes take on. So for me, like, I get nervous because I have to walk out on deck and take my leg off and take my liner off and then turn around and get on the blocks, all in time for them to say, take your marks. And sometimes for amputees, you go to click your prosthetic off and. And it just like, doesn't come off. My whole fear every time was like, I'm gonna get behind the blocks and my leg's not gonna come off.

[Mike Corey]

But Allie's biggest challenge wasn't her prosthetic.

[Ali Truitt]

The pool in Paris was beautiful. It also essentially was a shallow body of clear blue water with this large black TV camera that moves underneath the swimmers and chases them as they're competing, even just watching the races. The first night, I kind of had this moment where I was like, that is emulating a shark for me. Like this huge, big black thing moving underneath me as I race as hard as I can in shallow, clear blue water is reminiscent of the attack. So I had a traumatic response to that. My chest tightened, I cried, I kind of froze. It was a really, really hard time for me because I feel like I had worked so hard to get to this space to then encounter another obstacle like that where I was going through more trauma of recalling the attack and re experiencing those emotions. I've used therapeutic skills throughout this year to get through flashbacks of grounding myself and saying, like, I can see a black line or I can see my coach on the side of the pool or whatever it is. And even when I was doing that, it wasn't working. Even though my mind knew it was a camera and I was in a pool, my body was kind of disconnected and instead just experiencing the trauma. And so I talked with my mom for a long time and with my coach for a long time. And my cousins sent cute videos of their Babies to make me like. I just used sources of joy and support to help me get through that time, to know that I could still do it.

[Mike Corey]

Allie faced her fears, put her head down and went for it.

[Ali Truitt]

I was so excited and proud to be there and honored to represent my country. And so the way that I thought of it was getting a race with an American flag on my cap was a way to thank the everyday American heroes who saved my life and helped me rebuild it. So my prosthetists, my nurses, my doctors, my family, my surgeons, my friends, my list goes on. So in my races, when things got hard and tiring, I reminded myself that I had more, that I was not at my limit and that mentally I might be telling myself that, but physically I had more to give.

[Mike Corey]

Ally won the silver medal and set a new American record in the 400 freestyle. 24 hours later, she earned another silver medal and another American record for, for the 100 backstroke.

[Ali Truitt]

And so to end that meet with two silver medals, two American records in 24 hours was a really, really special and cool moment and one that I feel grateful to have had and contributed to Team USA's medal count. And also I actually had 60 friends and family in Paris cheering and supporting. They had flown to Paris and taken time off, including some of my Yale teammates. So to get to walk out and hug them after just put the exclamation point on them. Most special moment.

[Mike Corey]

Thinking back on the attack, Ali credits swimming with saving her life and helping her find the resilience to keep on fighting.

[Ali Truitt]

I think about my gratitude for the sport and I would have never imagined that swimming would save me in a life or death situation.

[Mike Corey]

Allie's come a long way since those days of crying on her parents couch and worrying how people would see her as an amputee. She even posed for Sports Illustrated a.

[Ali Truitt]

Year ago Today I had my short skirts and my short dresses in a bin ready to give away to Goodwill saying no one will ever see my prosthetic leg. And now fast forward a year and I am posing for Sports Illustrated swimsuit in a bikini showing my prosthetic. You know, when I started this journey, I searched online to see like, what could my new normal look like? Where are you? Young female amputees showing off their prosthetic or feeling confident or feeling beautiful or hopeful in their life. And to think that now I get to maybe be that for someone else feels really, really special.

[Mike Corey]

Ali started a foundation called Stronger Than youn Think. It helps women and girls afford prosthetics and supports the Paralympics the idea that.

[Ali Truitt]

I could turn this terrible thing that happened to me into something that could be used for good for other people is deeply human healing to me. Coming through this year and thinking back to all the I can't and I'll never do that and there's no way I'll ever do this again to where I am now. And obviously there's still more I'm working to achieve. But I think we have so much more in us than we think we do. So what I would tell anyone going through trauma or hardship or challenge or whatever obstacles life throws their way, you're stronger than than you think.

[Mike Corey]

Thanks to Ali Truitt for sharing her story with us.

[Unknown]

If you like against the odds, you can binge all episodes early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey.

[Mike Corey]

This was Ali Truitt, Shark Attack Survivor. To learn more about Ali Truett's story and her foundation, visit strongerthanyouthink.org Ali has a documentary film and book project in the works and her latest Sports Illustrated photo spread dropped in June. To hear more stories from survivors in their own words, check out our series Fallen on Mount Whitney, Stranded in Joshua Tree and Bitten by a Rattlesnake. I'm your host, Mike Corey. This episode was produced and written by Peter A.R. cooney and Pauly Stryker. Original theme music by Scott Velasquez and 2K for freeze on Sync Series produced by Emily Frost. Managing producer is Desi Blaylock. Senior Managing producer is Callum Plews. Senior producer is Andy Herman. Executive producers are Jenny Lauer Beckman, Stephanie Jens Marshall, Louie and Erin o' Flaherty for Wondery.

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