Ella Rodriguez

Physical Challenge:Below Knee Amputee
Sports: Wheelchair Basketball, Track and Field/Running, Wheelchair Tennis, Surfing, Sitting Volleyball, Archery
Hometown: Northern California

Ella was born with a club foot and shorter right leg, which her family made the decision to have amputated when she was 9 months old to give her the best opportunities to remain active. At that young age, she wrote a letter to Santa asking for a “friend like her” and was introduced to CAF. Ella is extremely active and involved in many different sports, including cheer, track and field, surfing, archery, and wheelchair basketball.

She plays wheelchair basketball with BORP (Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program) and has been a mentor to new and up and coming players. She received her first running prosthetic as a grant from CAF and has participated in multiple CAF Adaptive Sports Clinics both in the Bay Area and in San Diego. Both Ella and her mom, Sue, can speak to the impact of adaptive sports and wheelchair basketball on Ella’s development into a young woman, as well as the importance of local adaptive sports groups.

Ella states that her dream is to compete in the 2024 Paralympics. She says that CAF changed her life by providing her with a community to lean on.

 

In The Media:

 
15-year old amputee shares how sports helped her find a sense of belonging

SF Grant Night – Kate Steinle Memorial Fund Grant to Ella Rodriguez

Sports gives 15-year-old Ella a sense of belonging

Challenged Athletes Live: Episode 58 | Ella Rodriguez

Heroes of Sport: Episode 17 | Ella Rodriguez and Pitch Johnson