Jacky Hunt-Broersma is a 46-year-old, South African-born and raised American amputee ultramarathon racer. With a marathon streak like that, one might assume Hunt-Broersma has been running her entire life. However, she did not take up the sport until after her left leg was amputated below the knee in 2001 due to cancer.
When Jacky was 26, she was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a type of tumor that forms in bone or soft tissue. Within two weeks of this, the doctors had to amputate her left leg to save her life. Since then, her life has been a rollercoaster.
Like any other woman in her 20s who must've imagined life to be different, Jacky was hit hard by reality. She was devastated by the loss of her leg and was embarrassed to be different from the others. In public, she wore long trousers to hide the prosthetic.
A few years after the amputation, Jacky decided to take charge of her life. She took up running with the belief of not letting her amputation come in her way! Buying a special prosthetic for long-distance runners, she signed up for her very first 10K (6.2 miles) run.
She began running in 2016, and her primary goal was to complete 100 marathons in 100 days in order to beat Alyssa Clark's 95-set record in 2020. Clark's record was unofficially broken by non-disabled runner Kate Jayden, who ran 101 marathons in 101 days. This is when Jacky realized that she had to run 102.
Jacky documented her runs on social media, through which she could raise funds around $88,000 for Amputee Blade Runners, a non-profit that supplies running prostheses for potential amputee runners, by documenting the runs on social media. "Running has made such a difference in my mental state and it showed me how strong my body can be. It gave me a total new acceptance of who I am," she told BBC .
A mother of two, Jacky Hunt-Broersma definitely is an inspiration to all. She underwent multiple hardships just to prove to herself and the world that nothing is impossible with great determination and lots of hard work!
Next, Hunt is determined to join the 240 miles race in Utah coming October 2022. Child Help Foundation salutes the hard work and perseverance with which Jacky has inspired us all! All women should realize their potential despite the world telling them otherwise.