When Ben Jackson was born with cerebral palsy, doctors told his parents what they thought his life was going to be like. They explained that he might not even be able to take care of himself. As Ben grew up, he was very energetic and passionate about sports, where he really showed great determination and work ethic when attempting various sports, even if he was not good at any of them. When he was in middle school, he told his parents he wanted to take on wrestling “because he wanted to challenge himself both physically and mentally in one of the most demanding sports out there.” Ben lost all 24 of his matches in the first year of wrestling, but he did not quit. He noticed that every match he improved more and more.
Ben wanted to stop being a victim of his disability and he was so persistent. He trained very hard, pushing himself to be the best he could be. “[He] didn’t know who [his] competition was going to be, but [he knew] that they weren’t up at 3 a.m. watching wrestling videos.” His next year in wrestling, he won his first match. He did not only attribute his success to himself, but to his family, coaches and teammates who continuously supported him. He then went on to attend college and began training for the 2016 Paralympic Games for weight lifting. In college, he is majoring in communications with the hopes of becoming a motivational speaker regarding disability issues in the future. Ben is truly an inspiration to all, to those with a disability and those without. Ben will never be finished and will continue to always challenge himself.
“What keeps me going is the fact that I truly believe that I am capable of changing lives. I just want to be one of those people who is always remembered for leaving the world a better place than when I entered it.” -Ben Jackson
Ben wanted to stop being a victim of his disability and he was so persistent. He trained very hard, pushing himself to be the best he could be. “[He] didn’t know who [his] competition was going to be, but [he knew] that they weren’t up at 3 a.m. watching wrestling videos.” His next year in wrestling, he won his first match. He did not only attribute his success to himself, but to his family, coaches and teammates who continuously supported him. He then went on to attend college and began training for the 2016 Paralympic Games for weight lifting. In college, he is majoring in communications with the hopes of becoming a motivational speaker regarding disability issues in the future. Ben is truly an inspiration to all, to those with a disability and those without. Ben will never be finished and will continue to always challenge himself.
“What keeps me going is the fact that I truly believe that I am capable of changing lives. I just want to be one of those people who is always remembered for leaving the world a better place than when I entered it.” -Ben Jackson