Gold medal in the grandest track and field sports arena? Checked. World Championships medal? Checked. Worldwide recognition? Checked. Facing life’s curveball? Checked. Yes, at just 25, Hunter Woodhall has experienced all of this and built a resume to be boastful about. Also, he has tasted severe scars in his life. Severe enough that it could have made him sit in the wheelchair permanently! More than two decades have passed, but he still remembers the biggest curveball of his life. And more surprisingly, he wears it like a badge of honor. Can you guess what it is about? 

In years, prosthetics have become Hunter Woodhall’s best mate on the track. And his extraordinary ability has made him a revered name in the 400m T62 and 200m T44 events. But to much of our surprise, the doctors once said he would never even be able to walk. Yes, the Georgia native had no sign of walking properly. The reason? He was born with the congenital disease, of fibular hemimelia. This disease made the lower parts of his limbs deformed. 

So even after two decades, Hunter clearly remembers those early days of his life. On January 21, he uploaded a snippet on his Instagram handle, adding several visuals from those days. In the snippet, he said, “I was born with a super rare birth defect that only happens to every few thousand babies, and I was lucky enough to be one of them.” Here comes the badge of honor! But at the same time, another question arises: How did he reach his current position? 

In the snippet, Hunter Woodhall had the answer. He claimed, “I lost both of my legs when I was only 11 months old, but it’s what happened after that actually changed my life.” A story like this may give a feel of a movie. But for Hunter and his family, the entire journey was full of challenges. First, the doctors had not been favoring the idea of amputation. They shed sweat to bring the limbs to normal condition. Referring to any special module? 

No, absolutely not! According to Hunter’s words, “For the first months of my life, doctors tried to straighten out my legs through force by breaking and casting my legs.” It’s very difficult to even think of a year-old going through such difficult medical treatment, but Hunter and his family endured all of it. To let the fans imagine the perfect picture, the Paralympian said, “You can think of it like braces for your feet.” Did it help? No, unfortunately.

The rigorous treatments failed to revive Woodhall’s legs. The infant still had issues, which were threatening his chances of making it to the other side. Then? Expectedly, Hunter’s parents had to find other facilities to make things normal for their son. Thankfully, Shriners Children’s appeared in the scene! The doctors in the support system thought something out of the box. They realized the limitations of bringing back life to his legs, which had only nine toes and the right ankle fused to the leg. That’s how the idea of amputation came up. 

Hunter’s parents gave a green signal to the doctors of Shriners Children’s, and the latter did what needed to be done. The athlete still considers those quick decisions as blessings in his life. In the snippet, the emotions led him to spill, “Traditionally, they want to do it right before you’re about to walk. So your body’s able to adapt quickly, so it turned into a pretty quick decision. At 11 months old, I had both of my feet amputated.” Afterward, Shriners Children’s Salt Lake and Florida branches extended every kind of support to make Hunter stand on his prosthetic feet. However, a few times, for someone who experienced such a turn of incidents in his childhood, only one support system’s presence may not suffice. Then who came forward for Hunter Woodhall? 

Hunter Woodhall has had two entities with him on the journey

Leading a normal life has always been challenging for those who have undergone amputation in their early years, and Hunter Woodhall was no exception. He did face a lack of motivation to go forward, from not being able to ride a bike, along with getting bullied and being treated differently from others. These things broke his confidence. But again, someone came into the scene with a ray of hope. And this time it was Barb Woodhall, his mother! 

Barb motivated her son to go on, and the proud son remembers those chapters. Last year, he reminisced about those memories on Thread. In the post, he wrote, “When I was trying to learn how to ride a bike as a kid with no legs, I would cry and say, “I can’t do it.’” My mom would always calmly tell me, “It’s not that you can’t do it; it’s just that you’ll have to find another way to.” Creativity is a superpower; you just gotta believe in yourself. You got this.” Hunter got the hold of the situation later and has yet to lose the reins. It wasn’t just her mother, as Hunter also received support from another organization. 

The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) has been extending support to individuals with physical disabilities to pursue a career in sports for almost thirty years now. Fortunately, Hunter also came in touch with CAF while trying to make big in his career. And the cooperation made him flourish as an athlete. Recalling some of his happy memories, Hunter once claimed, “CAF is just somebody who I will take a bet on somebody, take a risk on somebody, and just see what the outcome could be.” The bond is still active. Eventually, the ultimate result came due to Hunter’s motivation and ironclad confidence. What’s your take on it? Do let us know.