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At 16 years old, Jordan Thomas became a double amputee below the knee after a boating accident. Since that day, he embraced his circumstances and committed himself to helping kids in similar situations, which lead to the Jordan Thomas Foundation. This year marks the 20th anniversary of his nonprofit, which provides prosthetic limbs to children across the country. We chatted with Jordan Thomas about JTF, its challenges, wins, and combining his two lifelong passions.- Destiny Mizell
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION: We exist because of insurance companies’ unwillingness to cover prosthetics. That's really the sole purpose of JTF — to bridge the gap so that families aren't forced to sell their homes or cancel years of their vacations to pay for their child's limbs.
ADVOCACY: I think our biggest challenge has been trying to implement policies that would ensure that folks’ insurance companies cover them because the financial burden that prosthetics put on families is really beyond belief — tens of thousands of dollars throughout the kid's lifetime. Insurance companies will say, “Here's prostheses for your child's lifetime,” and it’s like getting a pair of shoes for a six-year-old and saying, “Wear the same ones until you're 18,” or they'll say, “Well, this is great, but it's not really medically necessary.” The challenge is on the advocacy front, trying to get legislators to see it from our perspective and implement policies to protect kiddos.
THE JTF EFFECT: I've never experienced anything in my life that's equal to calling a mom who has, let's say a two-year-old child, who thinks to herself, "I don't know if my kid will ever be able to run because I don't know if I can afford it." And I get to make the phone call and say, "Hey, for the next 16 years, you never have to worry about if your child is running. We'll take care of them." And not only will we give them that, but here are mental health resources. Here's a mentor. Here's the opportunity to come to camps and to pursue their passions. We'll find the best provider for you. The opportunity, the ability to impact someone's life on that scale — talk about fulfillment and purpose and joy. There is no greater joy in my life than that, than to be able to serve and to see that with these families.
FORE THE CAUSE: I've been a passionate golfer my whole life and I played some sports before my accident. I sort of pivoted after my accident and said, “OK, I don't think I really have a future in competitive soccer.” I turned to golf, and it’s been a respite for me, a really safe space after my accident and it was a huge part of my recovery [Editor’s note: Thomas is ranked No. 2 double-amputee golfer in the world]. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to use the golf platform that I'm afforded to share about JTF. I get to go play golf with some affluent, philanthropic people and spend hours with them, and I get to share the very real impact we get to have on kids. I play because there's a level of fulfillment, joy, connecting, and community in it that I love.