In March of 2009 Blake Haxton was in his senior year of High School in Columbus, Ohio when he contracted Necrotizing Fasciitis, more commonly called the flesh-eating disease. Over the course of three days Blake went from being the captain of his school’s rowing team and a division one rowing recruit to suffering major organ failure and the amputation of both of his legs. Blake was released from the hospital after over twenty major surgeries and three months of inpatient care.

Life-threatening medical complications notwithstanding, Blake enrolled at The Ohio State University the following fall and earned his B.S. in finance in 2013. Blake then enrolled at the Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law and returned to the sport of rowing, making the U.S. National Team in the Arms and Shoulders single event. Blake has made four consecutive U.S. Rowing Teams including the 2016 Paralympic Team competing in Rio de Janeiro, where he placed 4th. Following the games in Rio, Blake’s fellow Olympic teammates and coaches voted him as the Male Athlete of the Year, making him the first ever para-athlete to win the honor.

Blake earned his law degree from Ohio State in 2016 and currently works as an Investment Research Associate for Diamond Hill Capital Management in Columbus, Ohio. He continues to row and is training for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Paralympics, Sports, Athlete, Disability, Amputee, Motivational, Sports Motivation, TED, Olympic Sports, Inspirational, Personal Growth, College, Sports Speakers, Parasitic Infection Paralysis, Bacterial Infection, Investment Banking, Ohio, Columbus, OH, Sports Industry,