Kira Stevens was born premature in Gulfport, Mississippi, in the midst of Hurricane Ivan in 2004, weighing only 2 pounds 3 ounces, about the weight of five cups of sugar.
She suffered a severe brain bleed and was born with cerebral palsy. The doctors told her parents she would never be able to walk, talk or even feed herself.
Now 19, the University of West Florida communications major is hoping to fulfill a prophecy her mother had when Kira was in second grade and wearing a cast to straighten out some leg and feet issues. Her mother, Mia Erickson Stevens, wrote "Paralympics 2024" on the cast.
On Sunday, Kira Stevens finds out if that early prophecy will be realized. That's when she'll learn if she has been selected for the Team USA Track & Field squad that will compete at the 2024 Paralympics, Aug. 28 to Sept. 8 in Paris, France. Her last hurdle is the 2024 Paralympic trials, which run today through Saturday in Miramar. She is competing in the 100- and 200-meter races.
She is a four-time U.S. Paralympic High School All-American in the 100- and 200-meter events and qualified for her first adult Paralympic National Championships, where she won the 100 meter and shot-put events. Earlier this month, she finished first in both the 100- and-200-meter events at the Hartford Nationals, an event for athletes with various disabilities, in Hoover, Alabama.
"It's not up to me, it's up to the higher ups now," Stevens said before meeting with Dr. Lynne Vibrant, a physical therapist and movement specialist, for a physical therapy session. "I've run my heart out, so I think I'll have a good shot."
She hopes to join another Pensacolian heading to the Paris Paralympic games, Emma Meyers, who is a member of Team USA's triathlon team.
"We were actually bunk mates in 2018 in San Diego," Stevens said, talking about the Challenged Athletes Foundation camp both attended. "She was nice and really funny. It would be great if we were both there."
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Fingers crossed, but Stevens and her parents, including father Scott Stevens, are appreciative of where she is today.
"She almost died several times when she was a baby, and she had sepsis really bad to the point a heart murmur opened up," Mia Stevens said. "It was scary. We were told she would not be able to sit up, or feed herself and she would be severely mentally retarded."
Emma's mother is an athlete and coach, and was determined to do what she could to give her daughter as normal of a life as possible.
"She came home on a breathing monitor, and as soon as she was off it, I started her in the pool," Mia said. "She might not be able to walk, but she could at least swim. But she couldn't be around people because she didn't have an immune system. We kept working at it."
Doctors wanted her to wear full time leg braces, but her parents objected.
"She did wear them part-time,'' Mia said. "But if she had them on fulltime, her legs would never develop."
Instead, they worked with her and pushed her. When she was 5, the little girl who was told she would never walk competed in her first triathlon.
"That's why I'm not in a wheelchair now," Kira said. "They kept me moving and active. I've grown up with sports. At six months I was in the pool. I'm of the mindset that you do what you can and push what's possible. That's one of my partner's mottos. If I want something I’m going to get it. But you have to know your limits."
Kira has been an inspiration to many, including her father, who only learned to swim when his daughter began training in the water. Now, he's competed in two Ironman competitions.
"We've very proud," Mia said, when asked how she feels of her daughter's accomplishments. "You're going to make me cry."
Kira burst out laughing.
"I knew you would cry!"
They both laughed.
Still, the hard work continues.
"Sometimes she works too hard," Mia said. "She's very determined."
Dr. Vibrant − who when asked "How do you spell that?" replied with "D.R." and then laughed herself − said Kira has "an amazing work ethic."
Vibrant has only been working with Kira for a few months.
"My initial impression, really, I wasn't sure what to expect,'' she said. "The first time I saw her run, it was 'Oh my gosh! She really can run."
Even with her disability, Vibrant said Kira's running "is better than I see from post people."
Kira hopes it's enough to represent her country in Paris.
"I'm hopeful,'' she said. "We'll just have to wait and see."
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