Sam Grewe

The Background:
In 2011, Sam Grewe was diagnosed with osteosarcoma that resulted in the amputation the his right leg above-the-knee in 2012. He had played lacrosse, basketball and football growing up and after his amputation discovered the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA) where he got back into sports. Grewe worked his way up the ranks quickly, progressing from the IPC Athletics World Championships in 2015 to the Paralympic Games in 2016 where he took home a silver medal in the high jump. At the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima he kept the ball rolling, earning a gold medal and setting a world record of 1.90 meters.  

Away from the track: 

Grewe stays active outside of training for event by playing other sports. He plans to further his education, potentially in biomedical engineering, and uses his experience to inspire others to pursue their dreams.  

In their own words:
“I think having gone through similar hardships like cancer treatments, amputations or long-term hospitalizations really sets a physician up to be prepared to (provide) compassionate care,” Grewe said. “They know the challenges they are going through; they know how vulnerable it is to be in the position of a patient.” 

“There is a whole slew of people who have helped me along the way, but every once in a while, something will happen where either I just see myself in a patient I’m chatting with or I see myself in a young athlete that I’m working with,” he said. “It’s just a powerful image.” 

“The artificial joints they would have had to put in would be too fragile for me to ever return to sports. So I decided to go with the amputation just to provide even the slightest option, the slightest possibility, of a return to athletics.” 

Learn More:
IPC Page
Team USA: “Para High Jumper Has Won All  Major Events Except One”
Team USA: “Paralympic High Jumper Sam Grew Comes Full Circle Personally and Professionally”