For Paige Beaudry, the past year has been filled with milestones both on and off the field.
Beaudry, a pediatric respiratory nurse at University of Iowa Health Care’s Stead Family Children’s Hospital, has experienced a whirlwind of personal and professional accomplishments. Over the past year, she graduated from nursing school, became engaged, and relocated from Michigan to Iowa City, Iowa to begin her nursing career caring for young patients with respiratory conditions.
But her biggest achievement came on the international stage.
In December, Beaudry helped lead the U.S. Women’s Deaf National Soccer Team to victory at the Deaflympics in Tokyo, Japan, earning her second Olympic gold medal.
“It was always my wish when I’d blow out my birthday candles to be an Olympic soccer player and to play for the United States,” Beaudry said.
Beaudry began playing soccer before she even started kindergarten. At the time, becoming an Olympic athlete felt like a distant dream. Born hearing impaired and wearing hearing aids since she was a baby, she wasn’t always sure there would be a place for her at the highest levels of competition.
That changed when a teacher told her about the national deaf women’s soccer team — a moment that opened the door to opportunities she hadn’t realized were possible.
Since then, Beaudry has balanced her passion for soccer with a career dedicated to helping others. At Stead Family Children’s Hospital, she now uses her training as a nurse to care for children with respiratory conditions, while continuing to represent the United States in international competition.
Her journey from a young soccer player with a dream to a gold-medal athlete and pediatric nurse stands as an example of determination, perseverance, and the power of believing that anything is possible.
