78 - Allysa Seely: USA Paralympian Gold Medalist on Medical Gaslighting and Advocacy Work
Today our guest is paralympic Gold Medalist Allysa Seely. Allysa is a paratriathlon athlete with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and related conditions like Chiari II. Beyond her gold medal award, Allysa is also a three-time world paratriathlon champion and a 17-time ITU World Paratriathlon Event medalist with 12 golds, 3 silvers, and 2 bronzes. In 2016 at the Rio Paralympic Games, Allysa made history when she won a gold medal in paratriathlon’s debut as a medal event at the Paralympics. She also competed in track and field at the Rio games where she landed an impressive sixth place finish in the 200m event. Allysa has been featured in ESPN the Magazine’s Body issue and has been dominant in the women’s PTS2 division since the Rio games. In July 2019, Allysa won an ESPY award for Best Female Athlete with a disability. Allysa has struggled with significant health challenges in late 2020 and early 2021 and spent several months in the hospital with endocarditis or severe inflammation of the heart. She was able to return to full time training in the spring and was able to earn a silver medal at the Americas Triathlon Para Championships event on June 27, 2021 in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, a key selection event for the Tokyo Games. Links: https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/allysa-seely-817537 https://www.instagram.com/triallysa