Shriners Children’s Salt Lake City Patient Aims for the Podium at 2026 Winter Paralympics

Paralympian Jesse Keefe made his first Winter Games appearance when he was just 17 years old in 2022. 

Now, the Shriners Children’s Salt Lake City patient is preparing for the Milano Cortina Games this March, and he credits the nonprofit healthcare system for giving him the tools and connections to reach the highest level of his sport.

Jesse competes in para alpine, showcasing his skills in slalom, giant slalom, super-G and downhill. Team USA doesn’t officially announce the Paralympic team until later this month, but Jesse is currently No. 1 in slalom and super combined, positioning himself for a great Winter Paralympics.

“There’s an incredible difference in my skiing when I look back at video from Beijing to now,” Jesse said.

“My skiing then was not pretty. My strength has increased tremendously, and my technique is cleaner now. Just to show you how much my strength has improved, in 2022, I was proud to deadlift 200 pounds. Now, I’m hitting 450 pounds on deadlift," said Jesse. "During the Beijing Games, I was really compensating with my upper body while competing. Now it’s all lower body, and my upper body is really clean and stable. Clean is fast.”

Jesse was born without an ankle bone in his right leg and underwent a foot amputation when he was 11 months old. The Idaho native started his Shriners Children’s journey when he was 10 years old. During his early visits, Jesse's prosthetist encouraged him to try new devices and created various prosthetic legs designed for skiing. Jesse also attended Shriners Children’s Un-Limb-ited Camps. It was there that he met other children of all ages with physical differences and skied with them.

“Although I already skied at the time, I didn’t know para competition was a thing before the Un-Limb-ited Camps. The camps were a gateway to meeting para coaches and other para skiers, eventually helping me get to the national team," Jesse said. "My Shriners Children’s prosthetist, Eric, really encouraged me to try new ski legs and a knee brace. I also worked with patient alumnus Santiago Vega, who was a Paralympic skier, too. Shriners Children’s helped me in so many different aspects of my career.”

Jesse’s care with Shriners Children's also included surgery with Kristen Carroll, M.D., to close his growth plates.

“Dr. Carroll is like a saint to me,” Jesse said. “She is my saving grace. I can’t even put into words what she did for me. Throughout my care at Shriners Children’s, she advocated for me, encouraged me to try new things and helped me so much as my surgeon.”

Shriners Children’s has cared for many Paralympians from across the country, with the Salt Lake City location featuring notable names such as Hunter Woodhall and Dani Aravich. Nearly 20 past and current patients competed in the 2024 Summer Paralympics, with 11 earning medals.

“I don’t see any other healthcare system doing what Shriners Children’s is doing,” Jesse said. “It makes sense they’re pumping out hyper-confident, elite athletes. They provide the space for us to evolve. They give us the resources and show us we can use them to our full potential.”