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Outlook: The Paralympian who was trapped inside her body

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Victoria Arlen

24/07/2021 GMT

The Paralympian who was trapped inside her body

BBC World Service - Outlook, The Paralympian who was trapped inside her body

How Victoria Arlen swam for gold after years of being unable to speak or move

After years in a coma, Victoria Arlen woke up in hospital locked into her body unable to speak or move. But just two years later she swam for gold at the 2012 Paralympic Games.

When Victoria Arlen was a child, she had dreams of being an athlete. But at the age of 11 she became unwell and lost consciousness, only to wake up years later in a hospital bed locked into her body, unable to communicate or move. For months she was alert, but nobody knew it and all she had were her thoughts. Slowly she recovered and took up para-swimming, going on to break a world record at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. This story was first broadcast on the 30th of September 2018.
 
Presenter: Harry Graham
Producer: Katy Davis
 
Picture: Victoria Arlen    
Credit: Harry Engles / Getty Images
 
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