DWTS Alum Has Relapse of Disease That Left Her Temporarily Paralyzed

Heavy/ABC/Disney+ ESPN host Victoria Arlen fell ill for the second time last year.

ESPN host Victoria Arlen fell ill for the second time last year.

When she was a pre-teen, Arlen was diagnosed with two neurological disorders — transverse myelitis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) — disabling her ability to move, eat, talk and walk, per People.

Arlen, 28, didn’t realize she was having a recurrence when she first started to experience symptoms. “All my internal alarms were going off. I knew something was seriously wrong,” she told People in a May 10, 2023, interview, thinking: “At least it’s not a relapse.”

Arlen said it was her “worst fear” to have a relapse because she worried she wouldn’t recover the way she did the first time.

“They said, ‘We have a very short window before you could end up completely paralyzed — or worse,'” Arlen told People, referring to her doctors. “I’m lying there thinking, ‘I can’t die like this.’ I prayed harder than I’ve ever prayed before. I was like, ‘No, God. This isn’t how the story is supposed to end.'”

Arlen only had a relapse of transverse myelitis — not acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, People wrote. This time around, doctors promptly gave Arlen medicine to lessen the inflammation — something they didn’t do during her first affliction 16 years ago — and were able to prevent permanent paralysis, the outlet reported.

Arlen said she is back to having an active life, though she still suffers from pain sometimes, she told the outlet.

“I’ve been given another second chance, and I make a conscious effort now more than ever to appreciate every single moment,” she told People. “Because in the blink of an eye, it can be taken away.”

Transverse myelitis is when the spinal cord becomes inflamed and there is damage to the myelin, which covers the nerve cell fibers and sends messages “throughout the body, according to the Mayo Clinic. The disruption can lead to pain, weakness, incontinence, sensory issues, and paralysis, per the Mayo Clinic.

ADEM is a neurological disorder, which is usually a response to a previous infection, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It can cause motor and sensory issues, they write.

Doctors didn’t think Arlen would recover after her first bout, which left her unable to move or talk for four years, according to People.

But in 2012, Arlen took home the gold medal for swimming at the Paralympic games. Three years later, when she was 20 years old, Arlen became one of the “youngest regular reporters” at ESPN.

Then in 2017, Arlen competed with Val Chmerkovskiy as her partner on season 25 of “Dancing With the Stars.” They were sent home right before the finale.

Arlen Was In a Vegetative State For Four Years

The first time Arlen suffered from the rare neurological conditions, she told Heavy she felt like she was “locked” inside of her body.

“I could see and hear things, but nobody knew I could. I remember most of it, but there are some spotty moments,” Arlen told Heavy in 2021. “There were definitely times when I was scared, especially when my body first started to shut down. It is a pretty crazy story, even now talking about it years later.”

Arlen said she didn’t anticipate becoming an inspiration, and the honor has been a burden at times.

“I didn’t want to ever let anyone down, so I put a lot of pressure on myself, which honestly affected my mental health at times,” Arlen told Heavy. “I had to figure out how to best navigate while still prioritizing my own health.”

Arlen Was Devastated When She Was Eliminated from ‘DWTS’

Arlen said she wasn’t pleased when she and Chmervoskiy were sent home on “DWTS” during the semifinals. The elimination came after earning her first 10s of the season while dancing the Charleston, according to a “Good Morning America” report from 2017.

“Our two dances were probably the best we’ve had all season, and you just felt so good with them,” Arlen said on “GMA,” per ABC News. “I was really excited. I mean, last night couldn’t have gone greater, until the end, but I’m really proud of what we achieved and the fact we did get those 10s.”

Chmerkovskiy said he was grateful to be paired with Arlen. “With every challenge is a great opportunity. I’m so grateful that the show trusted me with this incredible young woman and I got to tell her story,” he said on “GMA,” according to the outlet.

On April 29, Arlen fondly looked back at her time on “DWTS.”