'7% chance to walk—100% determination' – Hunter Woodhall & wife Tara Davis-Woodhall help raise funds for spinal cord research

Olympic long jump champion Tara Davis-Woodhall shares a heartfelt moment with her husband, Paralympic gold medalist Hunter Woodhall, after a victorious performance.

'7% chance to walk—100% determination' – Hunter Woodhall & wife Tara Davis-Woodhall help raise funds for spinal cord research

Festus Chuma 14:30 - 01.04.2025

Paralympian Hunter Woodhall and wife Tara Davis-Woodhall spotlight an incredible journey of resilience, recovery and unexpected inspiration.

Paralympian Hunter Woodhall has once again stepped into the spotlight but this time not on the track.

Together with his wife and fellow track star, Tara Davis-Woodhall, they have partnered with Bank of America to spotlight a story capturing hearts across the USA.

On March 31, 2025, Woodhall shared a video on Instagram highlighting the story of Martin who went from being hospitalized for a mysterious illness to becoming paralyzed from the waist down.

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Martin defied the odds and is now preparing to run the Boston Marathon in support of a non-profit organization named the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation despite being given only a 7% chance of ever walking again.

“#Ad. I’m so proud to team up with @bankofamerican to share Martin’s story as he takes on the Boston Marathon® for Christopher & Dana @reevefoundation💙. His journey from overcoming a life-changing event to running for spinal cord research is nothing short of incredible. Let’s cheer him on as he makes an impact that goes beyond the finish line,” Hunter wrote in the caption of the post on Instagram.

In a heartfelt Instagram story, the Paralympic medalist reshared the video:  “One of the craziest most inspiring stories you'll ever hear! Please take the time to check this out! Tara and I are donating $5,000 to the @reevefoundation to help others dealing with paralysis.”

The video features a candid interview between Hunter and Martin, where Martin reflects on the grueling road to recovery after waking up from a coma, unable to move his lower body.

Hunter himself was born with fibular hemimelia, a condition where part or all of the fibula bone is missing, he underwent double amputation before his first birthday.

At 15 months old, he received his first prosthetics but his childhood was not easy as he was bullied when transitioning to private school and often sidelined in sports.

Before finding his stride in track and field in the seventh grade, Hunter tried multiple sports but never felt he was given a fair chance but track changed everything.

“It means everything,” Hunter told CNN.

“I think literally representing the United States especially in an Olympic or Paralympic Games is the pinnacle of our sport. It does not get any better than that. I have so much pride competing for this country. And I think it gives us an ability to show who we are, show what we represent, which I hope in turn would reflect what we see this country to be.

That pride fueled him to success as he scooped a silver and bronze medal in the 2016 Rio Paralympics and became the first double amputee to receive a Division I track and field scholarship at the University of Arkansas.