Fátima Silva is 59 years old and will be 60 in November. Her birthday present, however, came early. The parathlete is a gold medalist with the state wheelchair basketball team, which won the Women's Brazilian Championship in this modality in September. The victory gave Fátima another medal in national tournaments, totaling nine so far.

On October 11, when the Day of the Fight for the Physically Disabled is celebrated, Fátima says she found in faith and sports the motivation to start a new life after having to amputate one of her legs.

Fátima knew the Adventist Church when she was still young. She lived in front of a church located in Baixo Guandu, Espírito Santo. After studying the Bible with the members of the church in the small district of Ibituba, she decided to be baptized. This, however, was far from being the biggest change she would face throughout her life. It was at the age of 45 that her story would change tragically.

"Because of hormone replacement, I started having problems. But the doctors found out too late," Fátima recalls.

Change of Plans

Fátima was traveling to Recife, where she used to visit an aunt and cousin who live in the city. On this occasion, a blood clot in her calf made it necessary for her to be hospitalized. "I stayed there for six months", she says.

Far from home and her children, Fátima lived a drama that cost her dearly. Months of hospitalization and some thrombosis diagnoses later, the inevitable happened.

"They didn't rescue me properly. When they went to do a repair surgery, I had no more time," she laments.

Back to the Routine

Back home, Fátima, who at that time was taking care of her children alone, needed to adapt to the new reality. She reveals that it was a long process. She even got depressed with the new scenario.

"All the time you encounter a barrier, which you need to take a deep breath and see how you are going to overcome it," she laments.

Fátima began to realize that everyday life on the streets, at home, on the sidewalks, in stores, and in public environments had not been designed to serve a person with a physical disability.

Sports and Faith

During the whole process that started with the complications and went until the effective recovery, Fátima reveals that faith was elementary. The pains were intense, and so were the prayers. And in the most challenging moments, as when she underwent four surgeries in one week, the prayers of the church brethren strengthened her hope that she would come out alive and healthy. The surgeries were never done without a prayer movement on her part and the part of her loved ones.

In addition to her prayers, Fátima also started sewing to supplement her income and help pass the time. At the time, she was able to retire, and two years after receiving her medical discharge, she underwent another profound change that, like the first one, she never imagined would happen.

"I was aware that I needed to restore my health. And during the physical therapy sessions, I discovered basketball. I started training and never stopped," Fátima points out.

National Champion

This is a story of love for sport and overcoming that is now 15 years old. To achieve the results, the parathlete, who fills the team's pivot position, has to train weekly.

The most recent tournament was the 2022 Brazilian Women's Wheelchair Basketball Championship. It took place at the Paralympic Training Center in São Paulo on September 12–16. Seven teams from all over Brazil participated: two teams from Pará, one from Minas Gerais, another from Rio de Janeiro, a team from the Federal District, and the team from Espírito Santo, of which Fátima is a member.

Also in May of this year, Fátima and the state team from Espírito Santo won the silver medal in the Super Cup in Rio de Janeiro, which brings together the four best-placed teams in the Brazilian Championship.

The lack of a more sensitive look at adapted sports is a reality, says Fátima. However, the limited recognition doesn't stop her from playing like a giant athlete, not only for the medals she has won in basketball championships, but because in the game of life, she knows she has won.

The original article was published on the South American Division Portuguese-language website.