My name is Tracy Otto and I am a one eyed quadriplegic and a W1 Para Archer. I’m different from regular archers in the fact that I am half blind and paralyzed from the chest down which includes my hands.
I wasn’t born this way. On the night of October 24 2019 my ex-boyfriend broke into my home while I was asleep. In an attempt to end my life, he stabbed me in the back of my neck paralyzing me. He also shot me multiple times with a high powered pellet gun in sensitive areas including through my left eye.
Despite the odds, I survived this horrific ordeal. After two years into my recovery, I had a lot of free time on my hands. With my new found time I decided to go back to school and find a new hobby. I found a local adaptive archery program through a simple google search. The following week I had my first lesson. I had never picked up a bow before so I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, let alone doing it with my disability. The coach fashioned a bite tab onto the string so I can fire it. I took aim for the first time and I actually hit the target! I held it the best I could but ended up dropping the bow as soon as I released it. It was in that moment that I realized that despite my disability, I can still be successful at whatever I set my mind to. I learned that it’s not about what you can’t to, but what you can do and going from there. I fell in love with archery immediately. It made me feel free. Once I found out how far I could go with archery my new goal became competing in the 2024 Paralympics being held in Paris.
After shooting for only two years and lots of hard work I am proud to say I have made it to the Paralympics by securing my spot by competing in the Paralympic trials!!
As you can imagine there is a large financial burden that comes with competing at this level. Not only that but because of my disability I require 24/7 care.
Your donation will go towards the following.
- Costs associated with travel
- Equipment
- Training
- Food
- Caregiver Costs
- Registration fees
Thank you so much in advance for your time and generosity. I hope to make you proud. Next stop, Paris!!!
