Two Wheelchair Athletes Win Big—A Lifetime of Love!

When wheelchair basketball star Adam Lancia played in the 2010 Canadian national wheelchair basketball championship game, he won far more than the Most Valuable Player trophy. In mid-November 2013, the three-year romance between two wheelchair athletes was a big win for both as Adam Lancia and Jamey Jewells were married in Canada.

The two met at the national wheelchair basketball championships in Saskatoon just after Adam Lancia, a veteran center for Team Ontario, had won the MVP trophy and was headed out to receive the honor when he heard a voice with an unusual accent cheering from the sidelines. When he glanced over, he was immediately taken by the beautiful brunette woman on the sideline. That woman was Jamey Jewells, a point guard on loan to the Ontario team from Nova Scotia. Jamey, who also uses a wheelchair, was at her first tournament and was likewise struck by Adam.

That was their first meeting, and they encountered each other again at other tournaments from North Carolina to Manchester, England, but the couple didn't actually go on a date until late 2011, when they got to know each other better at the only Irish pub in Germany.

Jamey lost the use of her legs at the age of 14, when she was on her way to practice basketball and was in a severe car accident that broke her back. She thought at the time that she'd never play again. She found her way to wheelchair basketball through her physical therapist, and she never could have imagined that her accident placed her on the road to love, marriage, and a family.

When Adam finally proposed on Mother's Day in 2012, Jamey says, "I was super-pregnant at the time. Now their daughter Lennyn is nearly six months old, and the two are looking forward to potentially being teammates in Rio de Janiero at the 2016 Paralympic games. Adam sports gold medals from Athens and London, and Jamey is point guard on the national team which finished sixth in London during the 2012 Paralympics.

At their wedding, Jamey wore a mermaid-style gown with a black, flowered sash. Her parents pushed her down the aisle, but, she says, "I was so jacked up that I started rolling early." Born without feet, ankles, his ACL and tibia, Adam was introduced to athletics at Variety Village, a sports center for kids with disabilities, while on prosthetic legs at the age of nine. He admires Jamey's spirit and acceptance of the accident that took her legs from her. "She's unlike anyone I've ever come across," he says. Jamey chimes in, saying, "That's life. What you do with it makes you who you are. And I'm very happy with the person I am today."

Instead of vows, the two exchanged secret notes. Of Jamey's note, Adam says, "What she wrote is beautiful. All the things you hope to hear from the person you marry. I'll cherish it forever." For his part, in addition to a note, Adam slipped in a scratch-off lottery ticket, just for fun. Unfortunately, the ticket wasn't a winner, but clearly the pair have won more than money can buy. And you can take that to the bank! Meet the athletes in these videos! How did you meet the love of your life?

Source: torontosun.com/2013/11/24/wheelchair-athletes-find-love Image Sources: torontosun.com cscatlantic.ca zimbio.com facebook.com