Jessica Jensen, an IN 2010 Rising Star, has been awarded a grant by the Challenged Athletes Foundation® to purchase a new racing bike for the pursuit of qualifying for the 2014 Paralympic Games in Brazil.
Jessica is a cancer survivor and amputee. She was diagnosed in 2007 with an “Epithelial Sarcoma” in her dominant left hand and after 5 surgeries in 6 weeks opted for an amputation below the elbow to save her life. Over the last 5 years, she has continued sharing her story and triumphs through her national audition on So You Think You Can Dance and she recently finished 57th out of 1,147 able-bodied women competing in her category at the Warrior Dash last weekend in NW Florida.
Challenged Athletes Foundation® is a world leader in helping individuals with physical disabilities get involved and stay involved in sports.In the summer of 2011, Jessica attended the CAF Paratriathlon Camp in San Diego and was introduced to a new avenue to share her lust for life and passion for athletics.
“Everyone knows me as ‘the dancer’ but it wasn’t until I jumped into the pool for our swim analysis that I flashed back to my childhood, a time when I swam competitively and won a state championship in backstroke.” said Jessica. “I had chosen to pursue a professional dancing career over swimming and it had been 15 years since I had swam a lap.”