Maria Bjurström lives to play bocce.
She trains 30 hours a week and her goal is the Paralympics in Tokyo.
-The goal is to reach the quarterfinals and hopefully get further.
But the competition has become much tougher since Rio, says Maria through her mother.
Maria can not talk so mother Ann-Christine interprets what her daughter writes on a so-called bliss card, with signs and symbols.
-I had a lack of oxygen when I was born so I have a CP injury which means that my body does not do as I want it to do.
But my injury has never stopped me from doing what I want to do.
I can not have a better life.
Not competed in almost two years
In bocce, Ann-Christine is Maria's tool for playing.
Maria gives orders with head movements and the eyes which ball to play, exactly which direction it should have, if it should be placed or hit the opponent's ball and how hard the shot should be.
Ann-Christine puts the ball in the gutter and Maria pokes it away.
-I have a strong psyche and good patience, Maria says about her strengths as a player.
Due to the pandemic, she has not competed in almost two years but managed to keep the motivation before her second Paralympics.
-Boccian means everything to me, it's my life.
Even if you have a major disability, you can enter major competitions and be allowed to participate in the major arenas.
In the Parastjärnan series, we meet eight of the Nordic region's biggest medal jumps before the Paralympics.
The series will be released on August 23.
Here you can watch all episodes of SVT Play.