Hi, I'm Jamie!
Born 12 weeks too soon and given almost no chance of survival, I spent the first 12 weeks of my life in an incubator. When I finally came home, the doctors said I would never walk. My parents were told not to get their hopes up.
I have spent my entire life proving that the wrong approach.
Story
I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at age two. By the time I was eleven I had undergone six surgeries and spent time in a body cast. I wore metal leg braces on both legs and used a walker outdoors. The doctors, the system, and sometimes even the people closest to me doubted what I was capable of.
But I never did.
I learned to walk at age four. My younger sister was just starting to take her first steps and I was not about to let her beat me. That competitive fire never left. It became the engine that drove everything.
I went on to learn to ride a bike, ski, swim, and eventually earn my driver's licence at 16. By 18 I had completed a full motorcycle safety course and earned my licence even after a doctor told me it was impossible. I completed the 10km Vancouver Sun Run in 2013, became a certified scuba diver in 2016, and jumped from a plane at 10,000 feet.
None of it came easy. None of it was handed to me. Every single achievement was fought for.
Along the way I faced bullying, unemployment, depression, family breakdown, a near fatal motorcycle accident, and moments where I had nothing left. But I kept going. Because giving up was never an option I was willing to choose.
