No barriers: Jen Bricker, the legless girl who made it as a gymnast.

No barriers: Jen Bricker, the legless girl who made it as a gymnast.

Doctors said she wouldn’t be able to sit up on her own, but their predictions were shattered by sheer force of will.

Jen Bricker’s story is incredible and makes you believe that nothing is impossible. Jennifer was born without legs, but her adoptive parents never emphasized this feature. The girl grew up like all children, playing sports and games. Now she is an aerial gymnast and a public speaker.

Childhood Jen Bricker

The girl was born without legs. Biological parents gave up their daughter, but she was almost immediately adopted by a couple from Illinois, who were not frightened by Jen’s peculiarity. They were not frightened by the prognosis of doctors, who claimed that the girl would not be able to sit up without assistance. Sharon and Gerald Bricker didn’t give up. They found specialists who said there was hope. And the child learned to sit up on her own.

Jennifer recalls that her parents never treated her special. So she felt no restrictions, doing the same things other children did. The Brickers wanted to make prostheses for their daughter, but they turned out to be uncomfortable, so the girl refused them forever. She learned to walk and run on her hands and hips, played volleyball, basketball and was active with friends.

Her first Olympics and an unexpected kinship

In 1996, Jen watched the Olympics. She was rooting for American Dominique Moceanu and was already into gymnastics. Inspired by the athlete, Briker decided to start training too. Her parents supported her in this. Jen succeeded and became a state champion, and later she began practicing aerial gymnastics. The main motivator of the athlete remained Dominique, the girl followed her on TV, felt a connection with her.

One day parents admitted Jennifer that her surname at birth – Moceanu, and Dominica is her sister. The girls began to communicate, and now they have become very close.

What is Jen Bricker doing now?

Jen married Dominique Bauer in 2019, who supports her in everything she does. Now Bricker is a sought-after athlete and acrobat. Her performances are mesmerizing. On the air canvases she does what others can not do. Jen leads an active and busy lifestyle.

The girl began to speak publicly, her main phrase at the performance: “Never say ‘can not'”. These words are the motto that Bricker was instilled by her parents. The athlete’s story inspires people all over the world. She believes that the most important thing is to believe in yourself.

When you are told from childhood that you are beautiful, no matter how you were born, that you can do anything you want, then you can do anything.