SHE
SHE IS
SHE IS A
SHE IS A PARALYMPIC GOLD MEDAL WINNER AND A CLASS ACT,
MINNESOTA IS LUCKY TO CALL
MALLORY WEGGEMEN ONE OF OUR OWN
AND SHE JUST RELEASED HER MEMOIR
LIMITLESS THE POWER OF HOPE
AND RESILIENCE TO OVERCOME
CIRCUMSTANCE. I AM SO HAPPY
TO HAVE MALLORY JOINING US LIVE
THIS MORNING . GOOD MORNING ,
MALLORY. SO GREAT TO HAVE YOU
HERE .
HERE .
HERE . >>
HERE . >> GOOD MORNING , DAVE.
THANK YOU. SO MUCH FOR HAVING
ME.
ME.
ME. >>
ME. >> ONE OF THE THINGS WHEN YOU
AND I TALKED A COUPLE WEEKS AGO
ABOUT YOUR BOOK WAS ABOUT HOW
YOU JOURNALED ALL THIS FROM YOUR
INJURY TO NOW. AND WE TALKED
ABOUT RELIVING IT AND THE PAIN
OF HAVING TO RELIVE THIS OVER
AND OVER AGAIN. HOW DIFFICULT
WAS IT TO WRITE ALL THIS DOWN
AND RELIVE SOME VERY TOUGH TIMES
OVER AGAIN?
OVER AGAIN? >> YOU KNOW, IT WAS IT IT WAS
CHALLENGING IN SOME ASPECTS,
BUT IT WAS ALSO REALLY HEALING.
AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE
THINGS I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR IN
THE JOURNEY OF WRITING
LIMITLESSNESS TO BE ABLE TO GO
BACK AND GO BACK TO THOSE PAGES.
SOME OF MY JOURNALS WERE AS
EARLY AS THREE DAYS AFTER MY
PARALYSIS WHEN I WAS IN THE
HOSPITAL AND SEE THE STRENGTH
THAT I HAD IN THOSE MOMENTS LAID
OUT ON THE PAGE. I THINK IT WAS
A REALLY POWERFUL REMINDER
OF EVERYTHING THAT I HAD
OVERCOME AND EVERYTHING I HAD
SURVIVED TO GET ME TO THIS
POINT TODAY. YOU SPOKE IN THE
BOOK A NUMBER OF TIMES ABOUT HOW
YOUR FAMILY HELPED YOU, ABOUT
HOW THINGS STARTING TO GET BACK
TO NORMAL AGAIN. YOU TALKED
ABOUT YOUR SISTER'S JOKING
WITH YOU MOVING YOUR WHEELCHAIR
SO YOU TO GO GET IT. HOW MUCH
DID YOUR FAMILY AID IN YOUR
RECOVERY AND HOW STRONG
ARE THEY?
ARE THEY?
ARE THEY? >> BECAUSE THIS WASN'T THE FIRST
ISSUE WITH ONE OF YOUR SISTERS.
YEAH, FAMILY IS SUCH A BIG PART
OF ANY PART OF OUR JOURNEY,
I FEEL. AND I I'VE BEEN SO
FORTUNATE TO HAVE TWO VERY
LOVING AND SUPPORTIVE PARENTS
AND TWO INCREDIBLY SUPPORTIVE
SISTERS AND NOW A HUSBAND AND
WE STILL LAUGH ALL THE TIME
ABOUT THE JOKES EARLY ON AFTER
MY PARALYSIS, WHEN MY SISTER
WOULD MOVE MY CHAIR, WE WOULD
MAKE A FAMILY JOKE. BUT FOR ME
THERE WAS HEALING IN THAT
AND REALIZING THAT I COULD JUST
BE A PART OF THE FAMILY AND NOT
EVERYTHING HAD TO BE CENTERED
AROUND THE FACT THAT I WAS NOW
PARALYZED. AND SO I THINK THAT'S
THE BEAUTY OF SUPPORT SYSTEM.
THEY'RE THERE FOR YOU TO MAKE
LIGHT OF SITUATIONS WHEN YOU
NEED TO BE A SHOULDER TO CRY
ON WHEN YOU NEED THAT AND
TO JUST BE WITH YOU IN THAT
MOMENT, WHATEVER IT LOOKS LIKE.
AND I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT I HAVE
THOSE PEOPLE IN MY LIFE.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STRUCK
ME WHEN YOU AND I SPOKE AND IN
YOUR BOOK WAS YOUR ABILITY
TO FORGIVE YOU. OBVIOUSLY THERE
WAS AN INCIDENT TO MAKE YOU
PARALYZED, BUT YOU DON'T HOLD
ANY ANGER WITH YOU ANYMORE.
THAT AMAZES ME. HOW HAVE YOU
BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT ?
>> FORGIVING IS REALLY DIFFICULT
AND I THINK EVERY SINGLE ONE
OF US AT SOME POINT IN
OUR JOURNEY WILL HAVE TO FIND
THE STRENGTH AND COURAGE
TO FORGIVE. AND SO YOU WHEN
I WAS PARALYZED ON JANUARY 20,
FIRST 28, THERE'S THINGS ABOUT
THAT DAY THAT I STILL DON'T HAVE
ANSWERS TO AND THAT WAS REALLY
CHALLENGING. I WALKED IN FOR
A MEDICAL PROCEDURE AND I NEVER
WALKED OUT. AND WELL, THERE'S
A LOT OF QUESTIONS I THINK
I KNEW THAT AT THE END OF THE
DAY, CLOSURE IS NOT ALWAYS
PRESENTED IN A PRETTY BOX WITH A
BOW. SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO CREATE
IT FOR OURSELVES. AND THE
BIGGEST PIECE OF CREATING
CLOSURE FOR ME WAS LEARNING
TO RELEASE THAT ANGER AND FIND
IT IN MY HEART TO FORGIVE
AND KNOW THAT REGARDLESS OF WHAT
HAPPENED THAT DAY, THE OUTCOME
WASN'T ANY DIFFERENT. AND I'VE
HAD TO MOVE FORWARD IN MY LIFE
WITH THAT. AND I THINK
FORGIVENESS IS SOMETHING
THAT THAT IS REALLY FREEING
AND A LOT OF WAYS AND LETS US
MOVE INTO WHO WE'RE SUPPOSED
TO BECOME RATHER THAN STAYING
STUCK AND WHO WE USED TO BE.
>> AND YOU ARE NOW GETTING READY
FOR ANOTHER PARALYMPIC GAMES
IN TOKYO. WHERE ARE YOU ON YOUR
JOURNEY TO THAT? BECAUSE YOU
OBVIOUSLY BECOME AN INCREDIBLE
PARALYMPIC SWIMMER. YOU SET SO
MANY RECORDS, BOTH WORLD
AND AMERICAN.
AND AMERICAN. >> WHERE ARE YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY
TO TOKYO? WE ARE OFFICIALLY
WITHIN THE SIX MONTHS OUT TO THE
TOKYO PARALYMPIC GAMES THIS
SUMMER AND I AM I'M SO EXCITED.
TRAINING HAS BEEN BRUTAL LATELY,
BUT THAT'S PART OF THE GAME
RIGHT NOW. AND I'M EMBRACING IT
BECAUSE I FEEL MYSELF GETTING
STRONGER EVERY DAY. AND I THINK
AT THE END OF THE DAY, I'M SO
EXCITED FOR THE CHOKIO GAMES
THIS SUMMER BECAUSE IT'S GOING
TO BE SUCH A POWERFUL MOMENT
TO BRING OUR WORLD TOGETHER
AFTER WHAT HAS BEEN AN
INCREDIBLE CHALLENGING YEAR.
>> MAUER, YOU'RE AN INSPIRATION
TO ALL OF US AND I'M SO GRATEFUL
THAT WE HAD A CHANCE TO CHAT
BEFORE THIS. AND YOUR BOOK IS
OUTSTANDING AS WELL