Lex Gilette

Lex Gillette is an American track and field athlete who has proved to the world that there are absolutely no excuses. Retina detachments in both eyes have left him with the challenge of living life with no sight. Fortunately for Lex, once he lost his sight, he gained a vision.

Elexis "Lex" Gillette is the most accomplished, totally blind long and triple jumper in the history of U.S. Paralympics. He is the current world record holder in the long jump, a four-time Paralympic medalist, a two-time long jump world champion, and a 16-time national champion. He is the only totally blind athlete in the world to eclipse the 22-foot barrier in the long jump. 

The average eight-year old child can be seen riding a bicycle, shooting baskets, or playing at a nearby playground, but Lex Gillette was far from being your average child. In 1992, Gillette witnessed his eight years of sight slowly fade away due to recurrent retina detachments. Ten operations couldn't stabilize what little sight that he had. After the final operation, Lex's mother, had the difficult task of telling her son that he would most likely never see again. As difficult as this was, she vowed to teach her son everything that he would need to know in order to be successful in life. Today, her efforts can be seen through the excellence of her son.