The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Amputee won’t let disability stop her
Julia Hixson can’t remember the moment when she decided her disability would not hold her back as an athlete.
“Always felt that way,” she said in response to the question.
Watching her in action, there’s no question about the 13-yearold’s determination. Despite being born without a hip socket or femur bone and having her right foot amputated at age 4, Julia has found a place in the pool.
This summer was her first as a member of the Chardon Sharks, which again won the Suburban Swim League Championship girls title on July 28. She’s been swimming competitively for three years and last fall was a member on the Central YMCA Painesville team.
On July 27 during Day 1 of the SSL Championships, she posted a season-best time in the 50 freestyle by a few seconds. Moments after that race, she and her mother Kelley Hixson were all smiles talking about the sport Julia has grown to love.
“Of course kids stare, kids ask questions,” said Kelley, whose family lives in Concord Township. “She handles it very well. She says, ‘I was born this way, God made me this way.’ She’s got a really good attitude. She just likes being herself.”
When Julia was 8, her first step into sports was riding horses, but her parents looked for more. The pool became a perfect option.
What started as a way to get their oldest daughter (Julia has two younger sisters) a form of exercise beyond riding horses has turned into a whole lot more for the 13-year-old who will be a Riverside freshman in the fall. Julia will swim for the Beavers in the winter.
As a swimmer, she competes in 200 free, 100 fly, 100 backstroke, 50 freestyle, 100 free and relays. Her favorite event in the 100 backstroke.
When Kelley contacted Matt Parrish about her daughter competing this summer, the Sharks coach welcomed Julia without hesitation. The Sharks and Parrish worked with a blind swimmer in recent years.
“She’s awesome. She’s a little sponge,” said Parrish. “She wants to learn everything about swimming, and learn how to get better. She works hard. She’s a strong kid.
“She’s never asked for hand-me-outs and has never wanted to be treated different than any other kid. That’s what our program does best — we support everybody.”
Of course, there have been difficulties. Her mother says Julia has days when she says: “‘Mom, I wish I had two legs.’ She’s human, but this is all she knows.”
Julia’s hip is so under developed she doesn’t wear her prosthetic leg much. Instead, she relies mostly on her crutches, which allows her to get around quicker. That option has strengthened her shoulder and back muscles, and that is important. Because she basically swims with one leg, Julia relies heavily on her upper body during competition.
Beyond that, Julia is thrilled she’s thriving as a swimmer and been accepted as a Chardon Shark. She’s not stopping anytime soon.
“I don’t really think about it. I just think about swimming,” she said. “I feel I belong as much as anyone else.”