Jean Driscoll

Diagnoses

Personal

Vocation

Notable

American professional athlete and Parolympian and marathon wheelchair racer, motivational speaker and author. Driscoll was born premature and kept in a neonatal unit in the hospital for a week after her birth. Born with spina bifida and cleft lip that was later surgically repaired, she suffered from colic as a child. But she was tough and didn't like being told what she couldn't do. Even with her leg braces she raced around as a child. She was a good student in grade school despite the disappointment of not making the grade as cheerleader and the physical hardships she endured, including multiple surgeries. As a teen she shattered her left hip in a cycling accident and was confined to bed while she recuperated. She developed severe and painful bed sores and was in a body cast for three months. Returning to high school in a wheel chair, she met Jim Ratzburg, a fellow spina bifida patient, who convinced her that her wheelchair could be used to her advantage in sports. She joined athletic teams and played soccer, basketball and other games from her wheelchair, developing the strength and stamina needed to compete. But racing was her love. In 1990 she won her first marathon, racing in her wheelchair. She has since won seven additional Boston Marathons and holds the world record in the women's wheelchair division. She also won a contract to endorse Ocean Spray cranberry juice. At the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 she won a silver medal and won her second silver at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She holds twelve Paralympic medals and several awards including the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award from The Women's Sports Foundation (2006). Well-educated and versatile, Driscoll has a bachelor's in speech communication and master's degree in rehabilitation administration both from the University of Illinois. She plays guitar and sang the national anthem at opening day of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team in 1992. From 1996 to 2000, she served on the Illinois Governor's Council on Health and Fitness and co-authored a book in 2000 called "Determined to Win." Link to Wikipedia biography