Meet Adaptive Athlete: Jo Hammons

Jo grew up in Hastings, Minnesota, where she enjoyed playing team sports such as hockey, soccer, and softball. She is a competitive person and appreciated having an outlet in those sports growing up, and participates in Spartan Races and Tough Mudders to scratch her competitive itch. After graduating high school, Jo enlisted in the Air Force as a Weapons Control System Specialist. After her time in the military, she went through the fire academy and EMT school and was a firefighter and medic for 15 years. Both in the Air Force and as a firefighter, Jo found herself as the lone female in her unit, which placed her under additional pressure.

 

Over the last 20 years, Jo’s spine has deteriorated, requiring a spinal cord stimulator implant to treat her chronic pain. She has also had three aneurysms in that time span and underwent aneurysm repairs for each of them. About ten years ago, she developed a severe tremor that has impacted her daily life. Her injuries have sparked bouts of anger and depression as well as feelings of grief over the life she was living prior to her condition.

 

Jo’s goal for her time in ReDefine is to learn to love life again, and work through her feelings of anger and depression. She also hopes to increase her endurance and conquer the monkey bars, which will help her improve her time in Spartan events. Mentally, Jo wants to develop peace of mind and become less judgmental of herself.