Jen Bricker was born without legs, and put up for adoption. Fortunately, she grew up in a home where the word can’t was forbidden.
She learned to tumble on a trampoline in her yard, but that was not enough for her. She went on to be the first handicapped high school tumbling campion in the state of Illinois!
In an almost unbelievable coincidence, Jen’s athletic drive was inspired by seeing Romanian gymnast Dominique Moceanu on TV. Amazingly, Moceanu turned out to be Jen’s biological sister! The story is told in detail in Moceanu’s memoir book, Off Balance.
I had the honor of meeting Kyle Maynard. Kyle was also born with missing limbs. Kyle went on to be the first quadruple amputee to climb Mount Kilimanjaro without the aid of prosthetics. He is an amazing speaker, author, and is an award-winning mixed martial arts athlete.
Stories like these of Jen and Kyle are so important only if they inspire us to go beyond what we have felt limited by. We do not all have missing limbs, but most (if not all) of us have had experiences that might have left us feeling less capable than we really are. Perhaps it is time for each of us to go beyond anything that had limited us in the past.
Take time to reflect on what you might still yet have or do of be as you begin now to live as though you have never said the word can’t? If your answer needs to be inspired, check out this 5-minute video of Jen.
The world needs each of us to show others what is possible if you never said can’t….
