| Rildene Firmino | |
| Sport: | Paralympic swimming |
| Disability: | Paraplegia |
| Disability Class: | S5, SB3, SM4 |
| Birth Date: | 1974 |
| Birth Place: | Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil |
| Height: | 1.55m |
| Weight: | 52kg |
Rildene Fonseca Firmino (born 1974) is a retired Brazilian Paralympic swimmer who competed at international elite competitions, she is a double Parapan American Games champion and a two-time World bronze medalist.[1] [2]
Firmino and her cousin Ivanildo Fonseca, both aged six at the time, were involved in a shooting incident. Fonseca got a hold of Firmino's grandfather's .38 caliber revolver and was play shooting the gun with Firmino, the gun had a single bullet in the drum and Firmino was shot in the T11 vertebra and it exited her right lung. Her injuries were so severe that she had near-fatal lung and liver complications and spent three days recovering in an intensive care unit at a nearby hospital. She was left with life-changing injuries and was paraplegic for the rest of her life.[3]