Former Shriners Children’s Patient Alexis Shifflett Chases Three-Peat at Paralympics

Former Shriners Children’s Twin Cities patient Alexis Shifflett’s story is about playing so hard, she broke her prosthetics again and again.

The nonprofit healthcare system encouraged Shifflett to be active while growing up, no matter what wear and tear it put on her prosthetics. Shifflett had no problem excelling at the sports she played, and now she is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist on the United States sitting volleyball team. This summer, she’s aiming for her third-straight gold at the Paris Games.

Shifflett was born with fibular hemimelia and had a below-the-knee amputation when she was just 9 months old before being introduced to Shriners Children’s a couple of years after she was born, returning for visits until she was 20. Shifflett remembers her care team educating her on how her leg interacted with her prosthetic and how to advocate for herself when she knew something was wrong or needed to be fixed. She also will never forget the impact her Shriners Children’s prosthetist Becky Born had on her while growing up.

“I felt bad because I was breaking a prosthetic foot probably every six months because I used them to the absolute limit,” Shifflett said. “Shriners Children’s would always get me anything I needed and any new type of prosthetic I wanted to try. They were all about giving me the right resources and the best chance to succeed."