Marker 01

Marker 02

On this episode of Our American Stories, at 11 years old, Victoria Arlen's body began shutting down. Eventually, she lost the ability to move or communicate and spent nearly four years in a vegetative state while doctors told her family she would never recover. What they didn't know was that Victoria was still there. She could hear them, understand them, and remember everything. Then one day, she blinked twice for her mother and proved she had been there all along.

Victoria would go on to win Paralympic gold, become a world record holder and broadcaster, learn to walk after a decade in a wheelchair, and compete on Dancing with the Stars. But behind those extraordinary accomplishments, she was still carrying years of unaddressed trauma. Victoria, author of The View Is Worth It, shares how a devastating breaking point forced her to confront her past, rediscover her faith, find forgiveness, and turn her pain into a purpose of helping others.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, at 11 years old, Victoria Arlen's body began shutting down. Eventually, she lost the ability to move or communicate and spent nearly four years in a vegetative state while doctors told her family she would never recover. What they didn't know was that Victoria was still there. She could hear them, understand them, and remember everything. Then one day, she blinked twice for her mother and proved she had been there all along. Victoria would go on to win Paralympic gold, become a world record holder and broadcaster, learn to walk after a decade in a wheelchair, and compete on Dancing with the Stars. But behind those extraordinary accomplishments, she was still carrying years of unaddressed trauma. Victoria, author of&nbsp;<a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FView-Worth-Unlocking-Beauty-Valleys%2Fdp%2F0830791779%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fdib%3DeyJ2IjoiMSJ9.HWIGHksqf32sgw8rfiexA_bMNgE6eP_onBFXxz5SQZRO9IXga43JR42ygRfKvaKBDyBGRY1dG1UbKZf1D0XcsaTdQQYzeeszB5fR8ZcMUoUiRLiqG0TM-F9XwrdEr7K6vQTAXi0r2gmSHsveri77c-hkb2CHIYiFLYFAfDsQvhpGiuZSuoO-STTCP_26YUQZIyOgmNZQRfuifeY9yOpq4w2sIJAm1TysqgO5K_0IVFo.fLnpRovim3Aeyks9O3zlJ9HlrV8CUo3M_aRdBMh7CSM%26dib_tag%3Dse%26hvadid%3D777916842133%26hvdev%3Dc%26hvexpln%3D67%26hvlocphy%3D9013799%26hvnetw%3Dg%26hvocijid%3D4181791823017735218--%26hvqmt%3De%26hvrand%3D4181791823017735218%26hvtargid%3Dkwd-2469378022738%26hydadcr%3D22560_13821274%26keywords%3Dthe%2Bview%2Bis%2Bworth%2Bit%26mcid%3Dbe253f6676843f54b11866638ea96779%26qid%3D1788465485%26sr%3D8-1&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7C7b53ac4a5ff345667d4408df09fc1aea%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639240650807747798%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=8F6Px9PD1elC9XX1rMwuor%2B6HKmmkbn%2FkAZs%2BJcRf6Q%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">The View Is Worth It</a>, shares how a devastating breaking point forced her to confront her past, rediscover her faith, find forgiveness, and turn her pain into a purpose of helping others.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories tells stories that aren&rsquo;t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we&rsquo;ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

Victoria Arlen: "I Had Prepared to Die. I Hadn't Prepared to Live."

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ef158e46-0ed0-4aee-84cf-b4ba01652829/transcript