Kimberly Stevens

Kimberly J. Stevens is a National Champion, Big Ten record setter, and All-American swimmer inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame. As a Masters Swimming World Record holder, she mastered the art of winning early. However, her true strength was forged in the brutal moments when the world was not watching or cheering.
Kimberly lived through the shattering loss of her first child and endured four grueling years in the hospital fighting alongside her daughter. That battle culminated in a life-saving liver transplant that cured her daughter of Citrullinemia. Combined with a battle against breast cancer and financial collapse, Kimberly has navigated the depths of "Hall of Fame loss."
These years taught her that the ultimate victory is found in the refusal to allow loss to have the last word. Today, as a speaker and author of Altar’d, her message is singular: Take the next step. Get up one more time. Kimberly proves that while you cannot control the waves that hit you, you must just keep swimming. She represents the authority of someone who has suffered deeply and still chosen hope, proving that the ultimate victory is defined by the decision to never, ever give up.