A tragic boating accident resulting in the loss of her right leg hasn’t slowed down Barrie teen Rebecca Mideros.
The Grade 12 student at St. Peter's Catholic Secondary School was only four years old when the boat she and her family were in hit a big wave and she fell forward into the water. After being rushed to the hospital, the family prayed she would survive.
Her injuries required the young girl to have the bottom half of her leg amputated. And although it took nearly two years for her to get comfortable using a prosthetic, Rebecca refused to let her injury stop her from enjoying life.
“She is a strong little cookie and she’s a survivor. I wouldn’t say it was easy — she had to relearn how to do everything... (but) she pushed through it. It was great to see her walk the first time and it was great to get to see her walk the second time,” says mom Sandra Mideros.
The Mideros family loved being outside, whether it was on the water in the summer or on the ski hill in the winter, Sandra says, adding they wanted to try to keep life as normal as possible.
And while she enjoyed it, Rebecca wanted more.
“When I did sit-skiing for the first time, although it was fun, I wanted to try to stand up because I knew I had the potential to do it. I wanted to give it a try… I knew I could do a little bit more.”
After returning home from that trip, they began to investigate three-track skiing — where skiers use one full-size ski and two hand-held outriggers giving them three points of contact on the snow, which Rebecca admits she was extremely excited about.
“I gave it a try and I just really loved it because it felt like freedom, and I could go fast, and that’s what I like to do,” she tells BarrieToday.
Although it took a lot of hard work and practice, Rebecca is now a prospect for the Canadian Para Alpine Ski Team and hopes to eventually represent Canada at the Paralympics. She was also the first para athlete to compete on TVO’s All Around Champions show, the first episode of which aired Jan. 5.
“I watched the first season… and thought it was super interesting so I auditioned for it and ended up being part of the show,” she says. “It was a really great experience because it’s a show where a bunch of athletes get to compete against people who are really great at their sport, and learn things from Olympians and world champions. I really liked the fact that I got to try a new sport every day and was pushed outside of my comfort zone.”
Rebecca’s ultimate goal is to make Team Canada, and the 17-year-old is already getting a bit of a taste of it.
“Since I am a prospect with them, we hang out a lot with the team and the coaches,” she says. “It would mean a lot to me to make the team. I love Canada… it’s just a great country.
"And to be on the team has been a goal of mine since I was eight years old. To have a jacket and to represent Canada would be pretty crazy.”
In 2019, the teen represented Ontario at the Canada Winter Games and brought home a silver medal.
“It was like a mini Olympics. You walked out and you were with your (province) so it gave me a taste of what the real Olympics would be like — and I really want that.”
The whole family is extremely proud of what Rebecca has accomplished, says Sandra
“We are so proud of (her). She took a terrible thing that happened to her, but she never let that get in the way of doing her best. She’s just Rebecca, who, through everything tries her hardest, is very competitive and wants to win like any other athlete or child. She doesn’t let the fact that she’s missing a leg impair her from being the best and persevering.”
Rebecca, who hasn’t been able to train much this winter after breaking her ankle, says it’s important not to let anything get in the way of your dreams.
“In skiing, like in life, you have to go out there with positivity and just try, because if you don’t try, you will never know. You’re the only one holding yourself back from doing things.”
