Ebba Årsjö kept her function variation secret for 18 years.
On Wednesday, she showed off her leg for the first time – and has been showered with love.
– I float on clouds, she says.
Ebba Årsjö competed in this winter’s Paralympics as one of Sweden’s biggest stars. There were high expectations of the 21-year-old – and she fulfilled them.
Brave decision
She traveled back to Sweden with two gold and one bronze, and received huge tributes after her fine efforts in China. Especially after she took gold in slalom less than a day after she fell in the giant slalom.
The Swede has a muscle loss in one leg, which is a side effect from the rare disease Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome. She had kept it all a secret for a long time, but on Wednesday she showed off her leg for the first time via her Instagram account.
After the brave decision, Ebba Årsjö has been showered with love from the Swedish people – and the 21-year-old can hardly believe it is true.
“Floating a little on clouds”
– I have received a lot of love, I have not seen any nasty comments. There are many who ask what has happened, then it is the other who answers. Everyone has my back, she says to SVT and continues:
– You float a little on clouds. There are no words for it. But that’s how it should be, it should not be a “big deal”. But what a phase, it’s fun when it’s spread.
The Swede says that she does not have time to answer everyone who has heard from her, but instead sends a greeting to the Swedish people:
– Just continue as you do, react in the same way as you do to me against others in everyday life. I want this to be normalized, says Ebba Årsjö.
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