Trinity's Path2Paris 2024 Paralympics

Trinity Lowthian is organizing this fundraiser.

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Thanks for stopping by! I am Trinity Lowthian, a four-time Pan American medalist in wheelchair fencing from Ottawa, Ontario. I'm on the path to qualifying for the Paris 2024 Paralympics. My journey has not been an easy one, and I need your help to get there!

By supporting me today, you are investing in something bigger than just a fundraiser. You're changing my life. You are helping me achieve what I am working so hard for.

My Story

My path to this point hasn't been easy - my health has thrown me some unbelievable curveballs.

My childhood was spent dreaming of the Olympics and standing on podiums for competitive biathlon, triathlons, cross-country and water polo.

Then, in 2018 my life began to change when I could not eat and drink enough to maintain my energy. Doctors determined that my Autonomic Nervous System was compromised but could not understand why. I could no longer play the sports I loved, and my sole focus was staying alive.

Unable to eat, I became reliant on nasojejunal tube feeding, but I was still malnourished. Finally, in 2020, I had a Hickman line placed, and I began life at home on Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) as my sole source of nutrition supplemented with IV hydration. And by the end of 2020, I became reliant on biweekly blood transfusions. (So, a big thank you if you are a blood donor!)

I did not give up during those unimaginable years. I spent my last two years of high school in the hospital, fighting endless complications. Still, I graduated with honours and began my degree in the Nutrition Sciences at The University of Ottawa. Unfortunately, my hospital trips continued during my first two years of university; more invasive testing, surgeries, blood transfusions, and time in the ICU.

In January 2022, my neurologists suggested a treatment of Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG). I was eager and hopeful to start but ended up battling meningitis and pneumonia after my first treatment. After recovery and always a fighter, I continued the weekly IVIG treatments and became stronger.

I longed to return to sports and the thrill of competition, so in May of 2022, I contacted Paul at The Ottawa Fencing Club, asking to train as a para-athlete with the club. My sights were now set on the Paralympics. I found my niche in Wheelchair Fencing and have quickly shown success internationally.

My first ever competition was in October at the IWAS PanAmerican Wheelchair Fencing Championships in Brazil. I shocked everyone by reaching the final in my first-ever senior event. I won 4 medals; 2nd epee individual, 3rd sabre individual, 3rd foil individual, and 3rd epee women's team. I currently have a Senior World Ranking in the top 20 (and I am the youngest athlete in this group).

I am still adjusting to my life with Autoimmune Autonomic Neuropathy and I love my newfound freedom with my wheelchair. I get all my nutrition and hydration through the Hickman line in my chest, and I am at the hospital for IVIG treatments every Saturday. Thanks to this, I can thrive and have the strength and energy to be the top Canadian para-fencer in my category! How I keep myself alive looks a lot different from most people, but it has not hindered me in any of my competitive endeavours - I truly went from surviving to thriving!

I proved to myself and my coaches that my goal to make it to the Paris 2024 Paralympic for wheelchair fencing is possible. I have the talent, drive and willpower to make it, BUT it will be costly. After everything I have battled to make it here, we can't allow money to be what stops me. I need your help and your donations to make my goal a reality.

My path to success will be costly, and para-fencing is heavily underfunded in Canada. I train tirelessly with my coaches Paul ApSimon and Benjamin Manano at the Ottawa Fencing Club. There are no para-fencing training camps or competitions in Canada, meaning I must travel internationally to qualify for the Paralympics. The 2023 World Cup season will see me competing in Washington DC, Italy, France, Poland and Korea.

Your financial support will go towards the costs of training, adaptive equipment, training camps and competitions (travel, accommodation, entry fees).

Please donate now to help my Paralympic dream come true. Thank you endlessly for your donations, your words of encouragement and for sharing this with your family and friends!