Lacey

Bringing It!

Take 10 parts tenacity, add in equal portions of talent, optimism and heart then top it off with a joke, an endless smile and the kind of wisdom you’re left with when you shake off a particularly life-threatening form of cancer and you’ve got 28-year-old Paralympian Lacey Henderson. She is fun, formidable, a fighter and a giver …a perennial optimist and a role model for all who meet her.

Her story: “At the age of 9 years old, I was diagnosed with a soft tissue cancer called Synovial Sarcoma. After failed chemotherapy trials, I opted for the amputation above my right knee in order to be an active kid again. Once I was ‘back on two feet,’ I was unstoppable. Playing sports from volleyball and soccer to finding the world of competitive cheerleading and a career that lasted through high school and into college with an athletic scholarship (University of Denver, Division 1). After University, I attempted the pole vault on a dare and fell in love with a new sport. From there, I started sprinting and long jumping as they are the only two events in my category. I quickly rose to the top rankings in the world. In 2013, I first learned to long jump, and in that same year, broke a 17-year American Record and made my first World Championship team. Since then, I have made the 2015 World Championship team and the 2016 Paralympic team. My athletic adventure continues, hopefully, through 2020 for the Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo.”

Her Goal: “This year, I want a PB (personal best) and new AR (American Record) as well as to be one of the few women in history (only four so far) to break the 4-meter mark (current PB is 3.94m)”

Personal Motto: “Excellence is the difference between where I am and where I am going.”

To learn more about Lacey, click here.