Jeff Belcher had spent decades learning how to play tennis. Returning to the court meant learning how to play it differently.

In 2013, an illness resulting in limb loss affecting both his legs and hands forced Jeff to reconsider everything from holding a racket to finding his balance. His first time back brought excitement, frustration, and the realization that he would not be the player he had been before.

“But I didn’t need to be,” Jeff says. “I just needed to find a way.”

Today, Jeff plays tennis and pickleball, runs 5Ks, and is working toward competing in Para-Standing Tennis. With support from Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), including a 2026 grant for an Össur Flex-Run running prosthesis, he continues to explore what comes next through sport.

His philosophy is simple: “When the rules change, you don’t quit the game. You find a new way to play it.”

A Life Built Around Tennis

Jeff began playing tennis at age five. The sport taught him discipline, perseverance and independence, including how to compete when a match wasn’t going his way. It also opened the door to his education: Jeff earned a Division I tennis scholarship to Old Dominion University, where he completed his degree.

After a brief stint as a satellite professional, Jeff built a career as a director and coach at private clubs in New York, Florida, and Connecticut. He coached nationally ranked juniors, collegiate athletes, and competitive adults, sharing his knowledge of the sport with the next generation of players.

“Tennis became both my passion and my profession,” Jeff says. “It gave me a career, a community, and countless relationships that I still value today.”

Then, in the spring of 2013, that life changed within days.

A Life-Changing Illness in 2013

Jeff went from feeling healthy on a Friday to being placed on life support the following Monday. He experienced a thyroid storm that resulted in organ failure. His family, he says, was told he had approximately a 2% chance of survival.

Jeff spent two months in a coma and approximately six months at Cleveland Clinic, followed by additional surgeries and rehabilitation. Over the course of his medical journey, he underwent more than 50 surgeries. He lost both legs below the knees, all the fingers on his left hand, and most of his right hand.

Recovery meant learning to do many things differently, and returning to athletics took time. Along the way, Jeff began to focus on the decisions he could still make.

“I couldn’t change what had happened to me, but I could decide what I was going to do with what I had left,” he says.

That mindset became part of his return to sport. For someone who had spent much of his life on a tennis court, the desire to play remained even when the way to do it was uncertain.

A Custom Tennis Prosthesis Helps Jeff Return to the Court

Returning to tennis required equipment designed for Jeff’s needs. Gene Yeager and Yanke Bionics in Akron, Ohio, helped create a custom tennis prosthesis that allows Jeff to hold and control a racket with the limited use of his hands.

The device was one part of the process. Jeff also had to rethink the mechanics he had relied on for decades, including his grip, movement, balance, and positioning. There was no immediate return to familiar strokes. Progress required creativity, patience, collaboration with his prosthetist, and plenty of trial and error.

“I learned that adaptive equipment doesn’t necessarily replace what you lost,” Jeff says. “Sometimes, it gives you a completely new way to accomplish something you thought you might never do again.”

For Jeff, that meant returning to the sport that had shaped his education, career, and friendships.

CAF Grants Support Jeff’s Athletic Goals

Jeff’s athletic life extends beyond tennis. He has used running prostheses since 2017 and continues to participate in 5Ks.

CAF has supported Jeff through multiple grants since 2022. In 2026, he received a grant for an Össur Flex-Run running prosthesis, giving him access to equipment that supports his running and active lifestyle.

The grant also helps address a barrier many athletes with physical disabilities face: the cost of specialized sports equipment.

“What CAF provides is about so much more than equipment,” Jeff says. “It provides opportunity.”

For Jeff, access to the right equipment means more opportunities to stay active, pursue new goals, and choose what comes next.

Jeff’s Next Goal: Para-Standing Tennis

Jeff is now pursuing competition in Para-Standing Tennis. He has begun the classification process through the International Para-Standing Tennis and Padel Association (IPSTA) so he can compete in future events. He wants to continue improving his game and challenging himself in competition.

Beyond the court, Jeff shares his experiences through JB Motivational Speaking, speaking with businesses, schools, and healthcare communities about resilience and adaptability.

“Before my illness, I played sports because I was an athlete,” Jeff says. “Today, I play because I want to show what is possible.”

Jeff is also looking ahead as an athlete. There are skills to develop, events to enter, and goals he has yet to reach. The sport that helped shape his life remains an important part of his future.

“I want people to understand that the life you planned may change. Your circumstances may change. The rules may change,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean your story is over.”