When Alex Henry arrived at La Jolla Cove on October 18, 2015, her world was beginning to change in ways she couldn’t yet imagine. Wearing a bandana over her head and using crutches after her recent amputation, she had just completed a grueling 29-week battle with Osteosarcoma—a rare bone cancer. 

Thanks to a grant from the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), Alex traveled from her hometown of Sacramento to experience the Aspen Medical Products San Diego Triathlon Challenge (SDTC) for the first time. Surrounded by hundreds of other athletes with physical challenges, she immediately found connection and comfort with three other teenage girls who knew her journey intimately—two of them also Osteosarcoma survivors and single-leg amputees. 

That weekend was transformative. 

“SDTC was life-changing. Alex was just five days out of chemo when she experienced SDTC,” shared Doug Henry, Alex’s father. “From that day forward, she never questioned her disability and never thought she was ‘less than’ other kids. SDTC showed her ‘I still can’—it saved her life.” 

Rebuilding Life Through Sports 

Prior to her cancer diagnosis, Alex loved swimming and horseback riding. When doctors delivered the devastating news in January 2015, her family was told she would undergo nearly eight months of chemotherapy and surgery to remove the tumor. Facing years of braces and surgeries to salvage her leg, Alex made the brave choice to amputate above the knee—a decision that ultimately freed her to return to the active life she loved. 

Now, nearly three years post-amputation, Alex has reclaimed her independence and passion for sports. She has been swimming competitively for six years and recently competed at the high school level. She also discovered water polo and running, staying strong and active alongside friends. 

But her deepest love remains horseback riding. 

Dreaming Big in Equestrian Sports 

For over seven years, Alex has been training at Oak Creek Training Stables in Granite Bay under the guidance of her coach Carmela Richards. Riding her horse Kiowa—a gift from Make-A-Wish—Alex has honed her skills with a dream of becoming an advanced, professional English equestrian rider. She aspires to attend UC Davis and ride for their collegiate equestrian team. 

Earlier this year, Alex attended a USA Paralympic qualifier event at Rancho Murrieta near Sacramento. Meeting Paralympic coaches and watching other para-equestrians compete fueled her determination to one day represent challenged athletes on the world stage. 

CAF’s Lifelong Impact 

CAF’s support didn’t just help Alex attend SDTC—it transformed her mindset and gave her access to equipment, travel assistance, and a network of mentors who showed her what’s possible. 

Sports and fitness are vital to community and identity, yet many individuals with physical challenges face steep barriers: limited access, high equipment costs, lack of insurance coverage, and minimal recognition in mainstream athletics. CAF exists to break these barriers, granting funding for adaptive equipment, travel, coaching, and competition fees, while hosting inclusive camps, clinics, and events like SDTC. 

Since 1994, CAF has raised over $80 million, fulfilling 18,000+ funding requests across all 50 states and dozens of countries. Through grants and clinics, more than 60,000 people annually experience the transformative power of adaptive sports.