Victoria was active and healthy until she was eleven years old, when she developed a pain in her side. Her doctors removed her appendix, but that didn’t help.
Victoria’s health continued to deteriorate. She lost 30 pounds in just three weeks. Her arms and legs stopped working. She lost the ability to speak, eat, and walk. Eventually she became unable to move at all, and slipped into a vegetative state.
Victoria was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder that was causing pressure on her brain and spinal cord. Victoria’s doctors told her parents that she was unlikely to survive. If she did survive, they believed that she would live her life in a vegetative state.
Two years later, Victoria “woke up” and became aware of what was going on around her, although she remained unable to speak or move. Eventually she was able to open her eyes, and began to recover.
In 2010, four years after her diagnosis, Victoria returned to school. She was paralyzed from the waist down, but grateful for her recovery. She was told that she would never walk again.
In March 2016, Victoria defied the odds again, and took her first steps. She can now walk normally, and no longer needs a wheelchair or even crutches.
Today, at age 21, Victoria Arlen is one of ESPN’s youngest on-air personalities! She is also an actress, a model, and a motivational speaker!
You can learn more about Victoria Arlen on her website at VictoriaArlen.com
Keep Victoria’s story in mind as you prepare your Advance Medical Directives.