Against the Odds

In 1992, Haley Scott DeMaria was a freshman and a member of the Notre Dame women's swim team when the bus carrying the team from a meet overtruned in a snow storm.  The accident left Haley paralyzed from the waist down.  After two emergency surgeries, Haley was told she would never walk again.  That was not acceptable to this swimmer.  Days later, drawing on the strength and training she learned as a swimmer, Haley began to wiggle her toes, and slowly began to unlock her body.  In October 1993, Haley returned to Notre Dame's swim team, competing again for the Fighting Irish and winning her first race back.   "It is the story of my faith, which was not yet defined at the start, but that was shaped by the goodness of others.  It is a story that has already touched the lives of those whom I have met, and a story that now needs to be shared with as many as possible." Haley Scott