You can look at him and feel sorry for him. You can look at his prosthetic leg and wonder what challenges he faced throughout his life. Many may look at him with sympathy. But I’m here to tell you that the man doesn’t feel sorry for himself, and he never has. This is the true story of an incredible athlete with a determination as big as the sky and a heart as good as gold. This is the story of my friend, Jovan Booker.

Booker is an amputee athlete, and he always has been. When Booker was 10 months old he lost his leg. He was born with Fibular Hemimelia in which he was missing two toes and parts of his fibula in one of his legs. The doctors amputated his foot at the ankle, in which Booker considers himself rather lucky. This has allowed him to make lateral movements and has played an important part in the athlete he is today.

I can remember running around the soccer field with Booker when we were in elementary school. There were several occasions where he went to go kick the soccer ball and his leg would go flying in the air almost 20 feet from where he was originally standing. As the jaws dropped, Booker would hobble over to his leg, reattach it, and start running down the field again. To me, it was something that I accepted and I never looked at him differently for it. Booker hasn’t always had it easy, especially in his personal life.

At an extremely young age, Booker’s mother lacked necessary actions it took in order to raise a child with a disability, and soon it was Booker’s father who took full custody of the boy. It wasn’t until Christmas Eve in 2005 that Booker’s father passed away, and it was his grandma that continued to raise him. Booker says she is the most influential person in his life.

“My biggest role model growing up was my grandma,” said Booker. “My grandma never let me forget my faith and always kept me positive no matter what. She taught me the meaning of unconditional love, and I will carry that with me forever.”

Currently, Booker is part of a team full of amputees called AMP1. These players come from all around the country in order to bring hope to those in need. They spread the message of “Never give up” as they compete in tournaments, play against a variety of different teams, attend conferences, and give motivational speeches. These men do it all and then some. As you go forward in life, be sure to remember these wise words from Booker:

“Most importantly, we must accept being different and everything that comes with it. We are all made different in this world because there are no carbon copies of a human being. Once you can be fully aware of who you are and embody that, you will begin to see your true purpose. My purpose is making a difference. What is yours?”

Watch his story here: