‘The only disability is a disabled mindset:’ Double amputee Sonic Boom member an inspiration on and off the field
JACKSON, Miss. – Jackson State University senior
Jahkee Johnson is set to graduate with his bachelor’s degree in health, physical education, and recreation. The Atlanta native was born with an extremely rare con-genital condition, tibial hemimelia, which causes a newborn’s tibia (shinbone) to be shorter than normal or missing altogether. The medical phenomenon occurs in about one out of every one-million births. It was this medical challenge that pushed Johnson to pursue a profession in therapeutic recreation.
The senior said his recent 14-week internship at Wood Activity and Therapeutic Center in Clinton, Mississippi, confirmed his career path.
“A few months ago, I feared I’d chosen the wrong field, but the internship was a reassurance that this is exactly what I wanted to do,” Johnson explained. “It gave me clarity to see that I actually knew what I was doing. I was able to perform the techniques that I read and studied.”
Due to Johnson’s tibial deficiency, his mother was faced with the difficult decision of allowing her son to spend his entire life in a wheelchair or have his legs amputated. She chose the latter, and Johnson became a double amputee. He said he could not have been happier with the decision.
“It was definitely the right choice. I think it was the best decision she could have ever made for me because I love the way I live and I love this life for me,” Johnson said.
Still, it was not an easy climb. Johnson’s condition forced him to undergo numerous surgeries during his adolescent years. He had his first surgery when he was nine months old and his second in the fourth grade. He had his last surgery as a high school sophomore around the same time he joined his school’s marching band.
“I had to learn how to walk three times and that’s a challenging process of its own. Learning how to walk is very hard,” Johnson shared.
He praised his mother for being uplifting and a positive motivator, always encouraging him. Johnson said she helped him recover faster so that he could continue doing all the activities he loved such as football, basketball, baseball with his friends, and marching in the band.
By Anthony Howard JACKSON, Miss. – Jackson State University senior Jahkee Johnson is set to graduate with his bachelor's degree in health, physical education, and recreation. The Atlanta native was born with an extremely rare con-genital condition, tibial hemimelia, which causes a newborn’s...
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