Turning Tragedy to TriumphThese athletes and soldiers may have lost a limb, but it hasn’t stopped them from achieving great things
By Justin Verrier
Hartford Courant / October 5, 2009
HARTFORD - After swimming laps at a recent practice in the Glastonbury High School pool, Rachel Grusse told her coach, Suzi Hoyt, her shoulder felt sore.
Hoyt responded as she always does to such concerns by her swimmers, instructing Grusse to put on flippers and “kick for a little while’’ to rest her arms.
“I just looked at her and told her, ‘Um . . . I don’t think I can do that ,’ ’’ Grusse said, smiling.
Both of Grusse’s legs were amputated when she was 16 months old. Nearly 17 years later, the high school senior won’t let that prevent her from pursuing her dreams, especially in the pool.
“To me, it’s normal,’’ she said. “I’m so used to not having legs that I kind of forget that it’s not normal.’’
Grusse was born without a spleen and contracted a form of bacterial pneumonia that cut off the blood flow to her extremities.
She lost both of her legs up to the kneecaps and at least the first joint on her fingers.
“It was traumatic,’’ said her mother, Maura. “It was difficult for her dad and I, just because you’re uncertain of the future, what it’s going to hold, and how it’s going to impact her life. But we just went along and joined in with the activities of any little kid.’’
She has since had several surgeries. Doctors put metal rods in her back three years ago to combat scoliosis, but some were removed last summer after she experienced discomfort while swimming.
With the help of prosthetic legs, Grusse has participated in all types of sports, including soccer and, most recently, wheelchair basketball. Swimming, however, has remained her passion.
Although the parents never swam competitively, Maura calls the Grusses a “swimming family’’ and says her brother was one of the first from Connecticut to swim the English Channel.
Rachel learned how to swim at age 2, and by 10 she was swimming competitively for club and recreational teams.
Now, she’s in her fourth and final year swimming for Glastonbury, a perennial contender in the state.
Like most tasks and skills, swimming has not come easily. Because she is unable to kick, Grusse’s strokes put a heavy strain on her upper body. And without the ability to spring off the diving blocks, she lacks the propulsion most swimmers get at the start of races.
“She’s automatically a body length and a half behind,’’ Hoyt said. “It’s tough for all of us to imagine how to swim the way that she does. A lot of swimming is body position and balance, and your balance is very different when you’re dragging your legs.’’
What she does have is experience.
While the way she swims may differ from the norm, it’s all she has ever done. An average swimmer may find it more taxing, but Grusse has built a lot of upper-body strength - by walking on her hands, among other things.
“Since I grew up without [legs], it’s not a huge loss,’’ she said. “To me, it’s normal. My arms hurt, but no more than anybody else’s.’’
Hoyt says Grusse can swim every stroke and usually takes part in all of Glastonbury’s meets.
Hoyt said that her times are close to some posted in the Paralympics, but that finishing ahead of others in a high school meet is rare.
Grusse also competes and excels on the school Challenge team for disabled students. Still, it’s Hoyt’s team that brings out her best, as it did Wednesday, when she finished ahead of two swimmers in a dual meet at Maloney-Meriden.
“I normally don’t beat people when I swim, but when I’m on the disabled team I’m the fastest one there,’’ Grusse said.
Grusse would rather blend into the background and continue swimming, something she hopes to pursue in college.
“I’ve heard some people say that I’m an example [to other kids]. But to me, I really don’t feel like I’m any different,’’ Grusse said. “I’m just doing what I can and doing the best that I can.’’
“That’s just who she is,’’ Hoyt said. “She just takes it all in stride and has a sense of humor about it, and never wants any special treatment.
“I don’t see her as a swimmer without legs. I see her as a swimmer. . . . She never says: ‘Why me? Why can’t I?’ That’s really special. She’s special.’’
source: boston.com
HARTFORD - After swimming laps at a recent practice in the Glastonbury High School pool, Rachel Grusse told her coach, Suzi Hoyt, her shoulder felt sore.
