This Mom Decided to Amputate Her Son’s Leg. Now, He’s a Thriving Triathlete
Jack O’Neil has always been a fighter. The 17-year-old from Colorado Springs, Colorado, was born with several abnormalities in his heart, kidneys, hips, spine, and left leg, which inhibited his body from developing properly. Doctors told his parents, Heidi and Jon, that he likely wouldn’t live to see his teenage years. But Heidi and Jon were determined to prove them wrong.
For the first few years of his life, Jack was in and out of numerous casts and contraptions to aid his growth. By the time he was a year old, Jack had undergone two hip surgeries and was confined to a full-body cast. But he proved resilient. From ages 2-6, he didn’t need any new surgeries.
“He actually learned to walk and learned to ride a tricycle, just like any kid would,” Heidi told Bicycling.
Doctors considered him an anomaly because his condition wasn’t getting worse, and many parts of his body were actually getting stronger. Except for his leg. When he was 6, the bones in his leg still weren’t growing, so doctors decided to try a treatment that would force Jack’s legs to grow.
“They surgically broke the bones in his leg and attached a metal halo. Then every day for 55 days we had to turn the screws in the halo to separate the broken bones in his leg. It was horrible,” Heidi said. “I still have nightmares that we’re in that situation.”
Remarkably, as soon as Jack had the halo fixator removed, he learned to ride a bike again. From age 6 to 9, most of Jack’s body continued to grow normally, and he loved being active by swimming and biking.
“Then when Jack was 9, the doctors said we needed to go through breaking the bones in his leg again,” Heidi says. “I just knew I couldn’t do that to him again.”
Deciding to Amputate
A post shared by Jack O'Neil (@jackoneil19) on Feb 6, 2019 at 7:36pm PST
In the 2010s, blades—carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer prosthetics—were becoming popular among Paralympic runners. One night, when Jack was 9, Heidi had a wild idea: perhaps amputating Jack’s leg could save the whole family from the painful alternative treatment.
Eventually, Jon came around to the idea as well, and they started their search for a doctor who would consider amputation. “We had to take Jack all over the country. One doctor told us we should just teach Jack to play a musical instrument instead of being active in sports,” she said. They were told over and over that it didn’t make sense to amputate. “But watching your kid not be able to do the things he wants to do is awful,” Heidi said.
In addition to the dangers that come with performing any major surgery, doctors were concerned with how losing a leg might impact the rest of his body. Eventually, the family found an open-minded doctor in Chicago. “She had faith in a mother’s intuition. I was convinced that this was the right thing to do, and the doctor trusted me,” she said.
They scheduled the amputation for a month before Jack’s 10th birthday. In the meantime, Jack and his mother started looking at pictures of the blade prosthetics and amputee athletes. “We started having these conversations like, isn’t this awesome? It looks like a robot. And Jack handled it so well,” she said.
A little while later, Jack had his leg electively amputated above the knee. It was a relief in many ways, but far from an instant miracle cure. “Jack had a really hard time recovering, which was tough on me because I started feeling like, what have I done?” Heidi said.
Getting Back on the Bike
A post shared by Jack O'Neil (@jackoneil19) on Aug 28, 2018 at 4:38pm PDT
For several months, Jack struggled to adjust to his new body. During this time, someone from Jack’s swim club suggested that he try a handcycle, and Jack eventually learned to ride upright on a bike, a year after his surgery.
Then, Jon introduced Jack to Dare2Tri, a triathlon community open to anyone with a disability. “They helped him find adaptive equipment, and they provided all of us with tons of support. It instantly changed his life,” Heidi said. In the group, Jack gained mentors and was inspired to become the athlete he always dreamed of. He started training and moving up the ranks in triathlon and cycling competitions.
“Training for triathlons gives me the opportunity to push myself physically as an athlete everyday,” Jack told Bicycling. Of the three segments of the race, his favorite is the cycling portion. “I love everything about biking and training for bike racing, from hill workouts to bike trainer workouts.”
In competitions, Jack uses a custom fit triathlon bike that’s set up with a stump cup, which is a carbon fiber cup attached to the bike where he puts his amputated limb. He then pedals with one leg. For the swim portion of the race, he doesn’t use a prosthetic, but he does use it for the running portion.
Since many summer triathlons have been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, Jack has recently taken up mountain biking along the trails near his house.
“Mountain biking gives me the freedom to explore the mountain trails with my brother and pay no attention to metrics,” Jack said. “Triathlon gives me the opportunity to be a competitive athlete, while mountain biking gives me the opportunity to be a normal teenager from Colorado.”
Jack is fully aware of his status as an inspiration to others. Just riding up the road behind their house, he often gets stopped by all kinds of people asking how he does it. “He loves to talk about it. It’s a way to connect to people,” Heidi said.
Jack will be a senior in high school next year, and hasn’t yet made a college decision. He wants to go somewhere that will allow him to be active year-round. For the time being, he’s training in the hopes of competing in the USA Triathlon Paratriathlon National Championships, which are still scheduled for July. In the meantime, he’s working on his mountain biking skills, and setting new goals. Each goal pushes his limits a little bit more.
You Might Also Like
