I realized at Holland Bloorview that my role as an athlete is more than winning medals

Regardless of my difference, when I set my mind to something I did everything in my power to succeed. I was extremely lucky to grow up in a community that did not see my difference as a hindrance, I was simply just Marissa. I was always supported by my peers, friends, and have always been supported by my family. 

This support is a big reason why I always had a can do attitude, and never felt discouraged by my physical difference but rather I embraced that part of myself because everyone else did around me. I believe this is such an important lesson to share with others, because you do not know the potential a child can achieve when you simply believe in them. That belief others instilled in me, empowered and uplifted me and most importantly allowed me to build resilience when things didn’t necessarily go my way. I would try, and try again because no matter how hard it got, the people I have been surrounded by have always believed in me and what I was capable of. 

I started running track and field at the age of 12 years old with a running blade that was made by the prosthetists at Holland Bloorview. The feeling was like no other. I often describe it as feeling like I had two feet for the first time. From there the development in my track career sky rocketed. Making my first national team at 15, my first Paralympic Games at 16, along with two more world championship teams and a second Paralympic Games where I came home with a bronze medal. But given all those triumphs there were many challenges along the way. I got disqualified for stepping on the line in my Paralympic debut race, tore my hamstring at the 2017 world championships in the final stretch of the 200m in front of thousands of people, tore my other hamstring not even two years later, and endured training through the pandemic to get onto the podium in the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Although there have been challenging times, it has been the desire to make myself better everyday that kept me going. 

It was the thought that out there, someone just like me rarely sees themselves in successful positions and needs a role model. It comes back to be a recurring theme, that I felt empowered to overcome obstacles with a lot of resilience because I always felt that belief. 

Holland Bloorview has played a significant role in building my confidence from a young age by making it feel okay that I kept breaking feet, or being different than my peers. They ensured I was set up for success, not just in what I wanted to achieve but by also ensuring my mobility was the best it could be to live the best quality of life as someone with a disability. Holland Bloorview has also been the place where I realized for the first time my role in sport was a lot more than just winning medals and breaking records. When I was 12 a younger female amputee saw me running on a blade for the first time, she looked at her mom and said, “When I grow up I want one too”. That’s just the type of place Holland Bloorview is, a place to inspire, to be inspired, uplift and be uplifted by others. 

Now more than ever it is so important to empower the next generations of all backgrounds whether it’s race, gender, ability, and age. I know first hand the positive impact that is made when youth are empowered, I was one of them, and I was different, we are all different. Look where I am today, it can easily be you, everything is possible. 

By Marissa Papaconstantinou