HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — A Long Island town held a special celebration honoring 17-year-old Anastasia Pagonis, who won the gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
The Garden City resident, who is blind, was cheered on by family, friends and supporters Monday as she was presented the Key to the Town of Hempstead, in braille, by Town Supervisor Don Clavin.
"Just the fact that they even thought about putting braille on it and making the words tactile is something that's super special because I feel like there's not accessibility in the world and the fact that they're going out and doing it is amazing," Pagonis said.
The teen began swimming a few years ago when she started to lose her eyesight due to a rare genetic disease.
"If I talked to myself a few years ago when I lost my vision I wouldn't even think that I would be here," she said. "I'm just home, I'm just happy, but with a gold medal, even better."
Pagonis said she wanted to give up many times and credits her family as well as her coach for keeping her going.
"Oh my goodness, I cried like every practice, it was a nightmare, but blood, sweat and tears is what gets you here," Pagonis said.
The teen is a role model for children across the nation and is very popular on social media, garnering more than 2 million followers on TikTok.
She uses her platform to raise awareness, spread positivity and inspire others.
"I get DMs all the time with people saying that they've been bullied and how I've helped them and that's something that's super important to me because I felt alone when this was happening to me and I felt like I just wasn't perfect and I didn't fit into the world," Pagonis said. "Just showing people that this is normal, like, you don't have to be what the stereotype of normal is and showing people that."
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