Meet Adaptive Athlete: Jacob Cox

Jacob was born in Columbia, South Carolina and was involved in many sports throughout childhood including baseball, basketball, golf, and weight lifting. He graduated from high school in 2006 and attended a technical school for one year before joining the U.S. Coast Guard.

 

The first two years of his service were in search and rescue. He then changed gears into Tactical Law Enforcement and served the next 10 years doing security deployments in the U.S. and Counter Narcotics Deployments in the East Pacific.

 

In March of 2017, while attending Tactical Operator School, Jacob started experiencing headaches, but toughed it out despite experiencing vision loss. After returning to his duty station, doctors discovered that Jacob had multiple brain tumors. The tumors had pressed on his optic nerve, resulting in permanent vision loss and leading him becoming legally blind. After brain cancer surgery, six weeks of radiation, and nine months of chemotherapy, Jacob was on the road to recovery.

 

He discovered adaptive sports and not only regained his physical fitness, he also found the camaraderie of being part of a team again. He’s looking to continue growing his network at ATF along with preparing for his upcoming powerlifting competitions. Ultimately his goal is to qualify as an athlete in the Paralympics.