Champion Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long shares story of adoption and God’s grace

Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long, a 16-time gold medalist, visited Liberty University’s Convocation on Wednesday to share her testimony as well as her journey as an athlete.

Born with fibular hemimelia to a 16-year-old in Siberia, Long was adopted by an American family when she was 13 months old. Because of her condition, doctors amputated her legs below the knee when she was only 18 months old.

Long shared with the students that she often found herself upset at her disability.

“Growing up I was definitely angry,” she said. “I was frustrated. I didn’t think that it was fair. I didn’t think that it was fair that I knew as a 3-year-old to jump on the cold operating table and I knew all my doctors.”

Because of her constant medical procedures, Long developed a love for sports because they allowed her to be physically active. Initially interested in gymnastics, she joined a swim team at the age of 10 due to fear that gymnastics may further damage her legs. Although none of her teammates were amputees, Long said that the love and kindness she received from the team helped build her into a better athlete.

Only two years after joining the swim team, Long entered trials to compete for Team USA in the 2004 Paralympics. Despite having little faith that she would qualify, Long did in fact make the team and traveled to Athens.

After performing well in qualifiers for the 100-meter freestyle, she won the gold medal in the finals for her first Paralympic medal.

Long has continued to succeed since then, recording a total of 29 Paralympic medals, with 16 gold medals in five Paralympic Games. She is the second-most decorated Paralympian in the history of the United States.

As she grew up, Long did not understand why she was different from everyone else. This grew into resentment toward God for making her disabled and for forcing her to undergo constant surgeries. Despite encouragement from her parents that God had a plan for her life, Long chose to dwell in her anger.

“I remember being like, ‘I don’t want to be special,’” she said. “‘I want to just be normal. I want to look like other people. I don’t want to have to go through surgeries every couple months. I don’t want to be a part of God’s family if He made me like this.’”

Long experienced a change of heart while living at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado. A teammate invited her to a Bible study on Wednesday nights.

Long said the Bible study helped her make Christianity a bigger part of her life than just a weekend affair. It was because of this that Long eventually gave her life to Christ.

Once she accepted her place in God’s family, Long finally found her worth in Him instead of sports or everything else she had done to prove herself.

“Being part of God’s family truly is one of the greatest things, but it’s not easy,” she said. “It doesn’t just get easier; if anything I found that it can get a little harder. But I also feel this amount of I am enough. I’ve always been enough.”

A short while after becoming a Christian, Long had the opportunity to meet her birth mother and the rest of her family. This opened the door for her to let go of the anger and resentment that she had held onto from being adopted.

“I truly believe that with God’s timing, it came at a time where I had just been forgiven of all my sins. How could I not forgive her?” Long said.

Long ended the talk with words of encouragement to anyone in the audience who may have experienced some of the trials she has endured in her life.

“When I look back, I see God in so many different areas,” she said. “I see Him holding my hand as I go in for my 25^th surgery. I see Him being there with me as I use the talents that He’s given me in swimming. … My advice to share is why NOT you to have this extraordinary life? Why NOT you to have this amazing, purpose-filled life? And to know that God has always had a plan. Trust me, there was a time when I did not like that line but it is the greatest thing in the world to follow God and to just give your whole heart to Him and to know that He’s always had a plan for you and trust Him and lean in Him when things get hard.”

Long plans to continue competing in the Paralympics with the hopes of qualifying for both the 2024 and 2028 Games. She is also in the process of writing several books, including a children’s book about a mermaid born without a tail.