Adaptive skateboarder overcomes the odds -- and hopes you do, too

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (FOX 13) - Justin Beauchesne has loved skateboarding ever since he started playing the Tony Hawk video game when he was a kid.

"To step out of the house and step on the skateboard, it was truly life changing," Beauchesne told FOX 13 News.

It's a sport that he was told to never participate in.

"I had meningococcemia when I was 18 months old. That caused three limbs to be amputated, and I have some bone deformity in my leg,” he explained. “Thanks to all the haters, naysayers and the people who said I could never do anything. That really drove me to be successful."

He's been so successful that he is one of the premier adaptive skateboarders. Beauchesne will be a coach at this year’s X Games in Minneapolis, which is the first year the games has adaptive skateboarding.

"It’s very rare and I’m very fortunate to have a job where I can directly affect someone's life for the better every single day. To watch somebody do something that they never thought they were capable of doing, they get a glow about themselves, it’s an automatic smile. It's a different glow, their confidence is raised and it’s huge," Beauchesne continued.

Beachesne says that he hopes folks watching at home from all walks of life – walking or not walking and everyone in between – will not let fear get in the way of greatness. And when we fall, to learn to pick ourselves up.

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“Not ‘adaptive’ athletes; that’s just an extra word. I hope they see athletes that have overcome adversity to be active, to be selfless, and to be motivating. I hope they see and find the drive to get out there and be the best person they can be,” Beauchesne added. “I’m at the biggest high of my life, my career. We're gonna reach the masses. It's not going to be a regular skateboarding competition. This is going to be seen worldwide and people are going to see what mind over matter really is." 

You can follow Amp-Ventures and Justin Beauchesne here: 

Facebook: Lifechanging1123 
Instagram: justin_beauchesne 
Link: Amp-Ventures.org