Miriam Blanco

Meet Miriam, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age one. Later, at 27, she was rediagnosed with a rare genetic condition: hereditary spastic paraplegia type 3a. She always walked with an atypical gait, but during her teens, moving around became increasingly difficult. Miriam feels fortunate to have grown up with four sisters who played sports; it motivated her to stay active as movement became much more challenging.

“Honestly, I think my goals were to be more like everyone else, rather than discovering and developing my own unique strengths—something I experienced when I entered the world of adaptive sports in 2021.” —Miriam

The first Angel City Sports event Miriam attended was the virtual Angel City Games during the pandemic. In 2021, she joined a Zoom swimming clinic led by Paralympian Tom Miazga, doing dryland training to prepare for when the pools reopened.

For Miriam, **“access to sports through Angel City means everyone has the opportunity to find a physical activity where they can learn and develop new skills, feel strong, and be part of a community of people who work hard and have fun. Among many other reasons, sports teach you to work with your body. That’s more challenging for a person with a disability, whether due to the nature of their condition or social barriers, or both, and that’s why I think it’s even more necessary.

I often felt like I was the only one, which discouraged me from participating in physical activities in the past. Literally, part of the ACS programs is figuring out how you can perform at your best with your disability. Everyone wants everyone to succeed, and there’s no doubt that’s possible at Angel City Sports.”**

The adaptive swimming clinic at the 2022 Angel City Games was the first time Miriam had worked with a swim coach, and she credits that experience as truly life-changing.

Now, one of Miriam’s goals is to qualify for the U.S. National Paralympic Swimming Championships by the end of 2025.