Stronger Than You Think

Ali Truwit crossed the finish line in the 42k Copenhagen Marathon in 2023 at the age of 22, but within days, her life was going to change dramatically. Fresh from captaining Yale's NCAA swimming and diving team, she headed to the Turks & Caicos and Providenciales Island with her teammate Sophie Pilkinton.

It was fortunate that Pilkinton was a medical student, for when Ali was attacked by a shark while snorkeling in the Grace Bay/Princess Alexandra National Park, she knew what to do after they swam the 55 yards back to their boat. She stemmed the bleeding, applied a tourniquet, and Ali was airlifted to a Miami hospital. The shark had taken off Ali's foot at the ankle.

Within weeks of the attack and the amputation that followed, Truwit was learning to balance on her prosthetic. Within months, she was back in the pool. And within less than half a year, she qualified for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The shark might have taken her left leg, but it hadn't taken her competitive athlete's spirit. She left Paris with silver and bronze medals and two American records. But out of that came a new sense of purpose.

From that conviction, she created Stronger Than You Think, a nonprofit built on the three pillars that saved her life -- water safety, the Paralympic movement, and access to prosthetics for women and girls. They have already provided 11 prosthetics to recipients. A documentary film, Stronger Than You Think, was selected for the 3rd Austin Film Festival in October.

Truwit's next goal is to raise $100,000 through the New York City Marathon. You can learn more or donate at www.strongerthanyouthink.org