Paralympic medalist who lost leg in shark attack turns trauma into hope with swim-a-thon fundraiser

Now she’s diving headfirst into doing some good.A Connecticut swimmer who survived a harrowing shark attack — then went on to win two Paralympic medals —  is hosting a charity swim event Saturday to help other amputees pay for prosthetic limbs.Ali Truwit, 24, —  who lost her left leg after a shark bit her in the waters off Turks and Caicos two years ago — said she hopes the “swim-a-thon” fundraiser in Stamford inspires folks to channel their inner strength.“We can take trauma and hardship and turn it into hope,” said Truwit, of Darien, who won two silver medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics after a grueling recovery. “We can overcome things we never thought we could overcome.We can surprise ourselves,” she told The Post.Truwit, a former Yale University swimmer, was celebrating her recent graduation with a snorkeling adventure on May 24, 2023 when she was forced to swim for her life.As Truwit and her friend, Sophie Pilkinton, paddled through open water, the apex predator suddenly appeared — and sunk its teeth into her left foot. Terrified and gushing blood, Truwit fought off the shark and managed to swim 75 yards back to their boat, where Pilkinton tied her foot in a tourniquet to quell the bleeding. She was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, and her leg was amputated below the knee a week later.Truwit was overcome by pain and devastation in the weeks that followed, along with the tedious challenge of learning to use a prosthetic limb.

But she eventually got back in the water.“It’s been a journey filled with grief, setbacks and insecurities about my body,” she said.“Even days that were filled with tears, I took the moment and felt it — and then I got back up.”As she relearned to walk with the limb, “I was celebrating the smallest of wins,” she said, like balancing on the prosthetic for just a few seconds.Just 16 months after her leg was removed, she won two silver medals while competing in the Women’s 400-m...