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Mary Kate Callahan, a 17-year-old Fenwick High School swimmer, lost the use of her legs through a rare neurological disease as an infant. Paralyzed from the waist down but toughened by a lifetime of powering through physical difficulties, the teen successfully sued the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) to include swimmers with disabilities in the state final meet, which she had been denied access to the previous year.

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Fenwick High School disabled swimmer Mary Kate Callahan looks up as a teammate wishes her luck in her first race during IHSA Girls Swimming State Final meet at Evanston High School in Evanston on Saturday, November 17, 2012.