Background
Blauwet grew up in Larchwood, Iowa, in a farming family.
Blauwet grew up in Larchwood, Iowa, in a farming family.
She later attended the University of Arizona, where she was a member of the school"s wheelchair racing team, and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in molecular biology. She attended Stanford University School of Medicine and completed her residency including being chief resident in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School.
She has competed at the Olympic and Paralympic level in events ranging from the 100 meters to the marathon. She began racing in high school, when she was recruited by her school"s track and field coach. She is currently a Fellow in Sports Medicine at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC).
She began her sporting career as a wheelchair sprinter, but later focused on longer distances.
At the 2004 Olympic Games, she finished 5th in the demonstration sport of Women"s 800m wheelchair. Professionally she remains dedicated to promoting issues of disability rights and empowerment for individuals with disabilities in resource-poor regions.
She traveled to Ethiopia and Angola with professional American football player Ray Lewis to promote and enhance disability rights through the development of amputee soccer programs.
She was also a member of the 2008 United States of America Paralympic team in Beijing. Blauwet was named a member of the 2002 United States of America Today All-United States of America Academic Team.