Her dream became a reality when she swam for the U.S. Paralympic Team in 2008. In 2016, she transitioned to the paratriathlon and joined her teammates in great success. Now a mother of two, Melissa is ready to prove she can still keep up with her younger competitors as she heads to Tokyo. Melissa started a nonprofit, Dare2tri, where she introduces athletes with physical impairments to the sport of paratriathlon. She also travels the country, inspiring others by sharing her story. She believes that when faced with unexpected challenges, we all have the power to deal with them. For Melissa, if one person is helped by hearing her story, she feels an enormous amount of satisfaction. Safe to say, she’s living a life she never could have imagined and loving every minute of it.