Lacey J. Henderson

From a promising young athlete to a girl battling the rarest form of cancer to an Olympic Games participant, Lacey Henderson's story is one of hardship, inspiring perseverance, and overcoming adversity. After being diagnosed with synovial sarcoma at nine years old, Lacey had her right leg amputated above the knee and went through years of physical therapy and childhood ridicule. She received a cheerleading scholarship to the University of Denver before becoming a long jumper for Team USA. Lacey is a six-time USA National Champion in the long jump, the world record holder in the pole vault, and the American record holder in the long jump. Lacey also participated in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. More recently, Lacey earned a silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru. She is currently training for the 2021 Paralympic Games to be held in Tokyo. In addition to being a world-class athlete, Lacey is a passionate advocate for health, fitness, nutrition, child advocacy, and living one's best life! She started working with children with limb differences in 2010 and continues to use her athletic and social platform to normalize disability in society. In June 2019, Lacey and DCP Entertainment premiered the first season of her podcast, "Picked Last in Gym Class", which celebrates the adversity that people have overcome before finding success.