Jillian Williams is tackling some of life’s biggest challenges against all odds.
In early 2016, she was diagnosed with a bone cancer, which ultimately cost her her left leg.
Williams thought she’d never play volleyball again.
Doctors said her best shot at survival was rotationplasty surgery, in which they removed the tumor from the middle portion of her leg. Her ankle joint now acts as her knee joint.
Before her diagnosis, Williams played volleyball at Texas Lutheran University.
These plans changed when she received the news.
However, that didn’t stand in the way of her love for the game, as Williams discovered sitting volleyball.
"The women’s team was in Sports Illustrated and it kind of caught my attention. I saw a girl with rotationplasty, which is the surgery I have, so I messaged her on Facebook, and the rest is history," Williams said.
Williams now lives in Oklahoma, training and playing with the USA Women’s National Paralympic Team.
The team will travel to Europe for a world competition in early July.
"This the only tournament we have not won gold at, and so I’m really hoping to be a part of that team that gets to win gold there for the first time," Williams said.
