While we are currently cheering on our country’s Olympic athletes, Lowell can soon take pride in our own hometown hero when the 2024 Paralympic games kick off Aug. 28 in Paris.
Former Lowell resident Kate Brim, 26, now lives and trains as a hand cyclist in Colorado with the rest of the Paralympic athletes, but she spent most of her life here in Lowell.
Brim’s parents adopted her from Ukraine when she was almost five years old. She grew up and lived in the same house in Lowell until she moved to Colorado about two years ago. She attended Lowell Area Schools for her entire education.
“Lowell was an absolutely amazing community, and I still love it to this day,” she says. “Every time I’m back visiting, I always tell myself, ‘It feels good to be home.'”
When Brim was 19, she had a life-changing event. She sustained a spinal cord injury during a surgery. A blood clot developed that traveled up her spinal canal.
“I was told I’d be a quadriplegic, and I was given some pretty harsh realities at first as far as what I would and would not be able to do,” she shares. “Thankfully, I’m a little hard-headed. I think (that’s) just due to being adopted and going through the challenges I did with that.”
“I had to work pretty hard to continue to prove every day, yeah, I can do this,” she says.
Brim credits much of her recuperation to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. It was there that she was introduced to adaptive sports: wheelchair rugby and hand cycling.
“I absolutely fell in love with the two of them,” she says. “They provided opportunities for me, and I said ‘yes’ to every opportunity that was thrown my way. It’s seriously the reason I am as strong as I am today, and I am where I am.”
At the Olympic and Paralympic training center in Colorado, Brim has access to sports medicine, sports physiology, dietitians, and strength conditioning in the complex. Brim did recently have a setback, however, when she was hospitalized for two weeks due to a kidney infection. She is currently working toward making a full recovery.
“I have no doubt in my mind that I’m going to be able to perform absolutely amazingly come race day,” she says, “and I’m really looking forward to it.”
After her paralysis, Brim originally started in recreational sports and was inspired by the other athletes with whom she played. They encouraged her to push herself a little harder each day.
“There were people around me who saw at the time things in me that I did not see,” she says.
That encouragement and hard work paid off, and Brim earned the title of World Champion hand cyclist in 2022. When she found out she made the 2024 Paralympic team, she was “shell shocked.” The timing of receiving the news coincided with the beginning of the kidney infection and issues with her bike that required extensive repairs. Brim continued to push herself forward.
“I made the team, but now there’s a lot to be done,” she explains. “The team is a great team, and I’m ecstatic to see how we do and what barriers we break.”
Brim’s training schedule is quite intense with physical therapy every day along with strength and conditioning three times a week. She is on her bike every day rebuilding the strength she lost due to the infection. She said she is aiming to get herself back to her “A-game.”
She thanks her team of medical professionals for helping to get her ready, including her personal cycling coach, physical therapists, and dietitians.
“We’re all one big team right now working really hard, getting ready for race day.”
Besides being physically ready, Brim is also mentally prepared.
“At the end of the day, I’m not stressed about the race,” she says. “For me, riding my bike is what brings me pleasure and has shown me what is possible and allowed me to show others what is possible.”
“Getting to the start line, yes, I am very, very eager to get to that start line, but I’m not really worried about it just because I know I ride my bike because I enjoy it, and it’s been my main mission to show myself what’s possible (while) also showing others what’s possible.”
Brim says being surrounded by other athletes like herself has been very motivating, and she hopes she can encourage others with disabilities.
“People with disabilities, it’s a very small community in many ways, but more and more light is being shed upon it, which is a huge step in the right direction,” she says. “The sky’s the limit as far as what we can do.”
Brim says the events she will compete in are a “time trial,” which is a race against the clock, and a “road race,” which is a marathon. She will also be in a team relay with three other hand cyclists.
Since the majority of cycling races take place in Europe, this is far from the first time Brim has been there. She has visited many times and has already previewed the Paralympic course.
Brim is excited to represent the U.S. but even more so she loves taking part in the Paralympics because they are a worldwide event.
“We’re all one big team making these events happen, allowing for these incredible stories to be told and performances to be displayed,” she says. “I’m just super excited to be amongst the other countries showing the world what’s possible.”
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games are Aug. 28 to Sept. 8 and will feature 4,400 athletes from around the world. They will compete in 22 sports across various iconic venues in Paris, including at the Eiffel Tower, the Château de Versailles and the Grand Palais. Some events will be televised on NBC, CNBC and USA Network while all events will be available for viewing on the NBC-owned Peacock streaming service.
The Paralympic games have taken place in some form since 1948. They now run immediately after and in the same cities as the Olympic games.
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