Ruby is a para swimmer whose path through diagnosis, reclassification, medals and new challenges has been shaped by dedication, adaptation and the pool.
“Swimming is my passion and my career,” Ruby says.
She moved into speed swimming in 2017 after starting in synchronized swimming, and she knew quickly that she enjoyed the sport much more. In the water, Ruby found competition, connection, and strength.
“I like competing,” she says. “I like the silky feel of the water. Being a para swimmer has allowed me to make friends, which has always been hard for me. It helps keep my body strong.”
Training is part of her everyday life. Sometimes she trains in the morning, sometimes in the evening, often swimming 2,000 to 3,000 metres six times a week. Her coach adapts the work to what Ruby needs in the moment and how her body is moving that day.
“The goal is to try and have my body move and work as efficiently as possible with my impairment,” Ruby says.
Her journey has also asked her to adapt again and again. Ruby first started swimming with a cognitive impairment and was rising quickly on the Next Gen track. Then, at 13, her leg muscles began to weaken and spasm. Eventually, it affected her arms, back, neck, and face. After a long medical journey, she was diagnosed with Generalized Dystonia and a rare genetic disorder called Complex Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia.
“It took seven long years to get my diagnosis,” Ruby said after her gold medal swim, “and I’m just so happy and excited to be here where I want to be!”
Now Ruby uses assistive devices, including a walker and wheelchair, every day. Her swimming classification changed, but her relationship with the sport did not. She could still compete. She still had years ahead of her. And she was grateful to be back on the podium.
One of the most meaningful moments came when Ruby represented Team Ontario at the 2022 Canada Games and won bronze in the 100m backstroke.
“I finally feel like myself again,” she says, “and am ready for what the future holds.”
That future carried her even further. Ruby won gold in the S6 100m backstroke at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games and worked toward Paris 2024 after meeting eligibility requirements. Missing Paris was a difficult setback, but Ruby kept moving. She continued in the pool and also explored wheelchair rugby, finding another place to compete, adapt, and grow.
Ruby is inspired by her coach, Vicki Keith.
“She is so knowledgeable about my disability,” Ruby says. “She is kind and humble about her incredible accomplishments. She gives so much to others and never expects anything in return.”
For Ruby, dedication is not only about medals. It is in the early mornings, the adapted workouts, the long process of diagnosis, the return after classification changes, and the courage to keep choosing sport when the path shifts.
Ruby moves for dedication.