Jo Beckwith

Last updated
Jo Beckwith
Personal information
Born
Jordan Beckwith
NationalityAmerican
Occupation YouTuber
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2018-present
Subscribers1.01 million OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg [1]
(April 2024)
Total views503.61 million [1]
(June 2023)
Website www.footlessjo.com
YouTube Silver Play Button 2.svg100,000 subscribers

Last updated: 19 June 2023

Jordan 'Jo' Beckwith is an American YouTuber and advocate also known as Footless Jo. She is a below-knee amputee whose content focuses on disability and mental health awareness.

Contents

Early life

When she was 13, Beckwith fell off a horse while riding in Colorado Springs, fracturing her ankle. She subsequently underwent many surgeries, but remained with chronic pain and limited functionality. [2]

Career

Beckwith began her YouTube channel, Footless Jo, during her recovery from amputation in 2018. [3] In 2019, the channel became more prominent following a video she released titled, "How I Said Goodbye to My Ankle". That video went viral and garnered over 8 million views. [2] Footless Jo focuses on amputation, disability, and mental health. Beckwith's second channel, Trauma Talk, which she stopped posting to in 2021, [4] explored living in the aftermath of trauma.

In 2021, Beckwith partnered with Shades for Migraine in a media campaign to raise awareness about migraines. [5] She has said her migraines, which began in her 20s, are more debilitating and difficult than being an amputee. [6] Beckwith appeared in a 2024 commercial for the migraine medication Nurtec ODT, which also featured Lady Gaga. [7]

As of May 2024, Footless Jo has 1.01 million subscribers. Beckwith also has 118,000 followers on Instagram and 744,200 followers on TikTok. [2]

Personal life

Beckwith lives in Colorado. [8] In 2018, at age 27, Beckwith began considering amputation after being told that an ankle replacement, the other treatment option, would only delay amputation for another 1.5–5 years. [9] She underwent below-knee amputation on October 11, 2018, at the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver. [10] [8]

On August 27, 2015, Beckwith married Brian Thomas. [11] The two divorced in 2022. [12]

Beckwith is a stroke survivor. She suffered a cerebellar occipital stroke on January 28, 2024, while practicing jiu-jitsu. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amputation</span> Medical procedure that removes a part of the body

Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventive surgery for such problems. A special case is that of congenital amputation, a congenital disorder, where fetal limbs have been cut off by constrictive bands. In some countries, judicial amputation is currently used to punish people who commit crimes. Amputation has also been used as a tactic in war and acts of terrorism; it may also occur as a war injury. In some cultures and religions, minor amputations or mutilations are considered a ritual accomplishment. When done by a person, the person executing the amputation is an amputator. The oldest evidence of this practice comes from a skeleton found buried in Liang Tebo cave, East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo dating back to at least 31,000 years ago, where it was done when the amputee was a young child.

In medicine, a prosthesis, or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth. Prostheses are intended to restore the normal functions of the missing body part. A person who has undergone an amputation is sometimes referred to as an amputee, however, this term may be offensive. Rehabilitation for someone with an amputation is primarily coordinated by a physiatrist as part of an inter-disciplinary team consisting of physiatrists, prosthetists, nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. Prostheses can be created by hand or with computer-aided design (CAD), a software interface that helps creators design and analyze the creation with computer-generated 2-D and 3-D graphics as well as analysis and optimization tools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drop tower</span> Type of amusement ride

A drop tower is a type of amusement park ride incorporating a central tower structure with one or more gondolas attached. In a typical modern configuration, each gondola carrying riders is lifted to the top of the tower and then released to free fall back down to ground level. This produces a feeling of weightlessness followed by rapid deceleration. A magnetic braking system, or a variation that relies on pistons and air pressure, is used to safely bring the gondola to a complete stop. One of the earliest drop towers configured as an amusement ride was a parachute ride that debuted at the 1939 New York World's Fair, which was inspired by paratrooper training devices used by the Soviet Union in the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaipur foot</span> Prosthetic limb

The Jaipur foot, also known as the Jaipur leg, is a rubber-based prosthetic leg for people with below-knee amputations. Although inferior in many ways to the composite carbon fibre variants, its variable applicability and cost efficiency make it an acceptable choice for prosthesis. Ram Chandra Sharma and orthopedic surgeon P. K. Sethi designed and developed it in 1968.

Congenital amputation is birth without a limb or limbs, or without a part of a limb or limbs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Gaga</span> American singer and songwriter (born 1986)

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influential figure in popular music and regarded as a pop icon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Herr</span> American rock climber and bioengineer

Hugh Herr is an American rock climber, engineer, and biophysicist. When he was young, both of his legs were amputated below the knee during a blizzard in a rock climbing trip. After months of surgeries and rehabilitation, Herr began climbing again, using specialized prostheses he designed for himself, becoming the first person with a major amputation to perform in a sport on par with elite-level, able-bodied persons. He holds the patents to the Rheo Knee, an active ankle-foot orthosis, which is the world's first powered ankle-foot prosthesis.

Oscar is an all-black cat owned by Kate Allan and Mike Nolan who lives on the Channel Island of Jersey. In 2009 Oscar had both hind paws severed by a combine harvester. Since then he has undergone a pioneering operation to add prosthetic feet. The treatment has since been considered for use with humans. A book about Oscar's story, Oscar the Bionic Cat was published in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You and I (Lady Gaga song)</span> 2011 single by Lady Gaga

"You and I" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga, taken from her second studio album, Born This Way (2011). She also co-produced it with Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The track samples Queen's "We Will Rock You" (1977) and features electric guitar by Queen's Brian May. Gaga debuted "You and I" in June 2010 during her performance at Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball. Footage of the performance appeared on the Internet, and positive response encouraged her to include the song on her setlist for The Monster Ball Tour. She later performed the song on Today to a record crowd in July 2010, and on The Oprah Winfrey Show in May 2011. On August 23, 2011, Interscope Records released the song as the fourth single from the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S8 (classification)</span> Para-swimming classification

S8, SB7, SM8 are para-swimming classifications used for categorizing swimmers based on their level of disability. This class includes a number of different disabilities including people with amputations and cerebral palsy. The classification is governed by the International Paralympic Committee, and competes at the Paralympic Games.

S10, SB9, SM10 are para-swimming classifications used for categorizing swimmers based on their level of disability. Swimmers in this class tend to have minimal weakness affecting their legs, missing feet, a missing leg below the knee or problems with their hips. This class includes a number of different disabilities including people with amputations and cerebral palsy. The classification is governed by the International Paralympic Committee, and competes at the Paralympic Games.

Amputee sports classification is a disability specific sport classification used for disability sports to facilitate fair competition among people with different types of amputations. This classification was set up by International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD), and is currently managed by IWAS who ISOD merged with in 2005. Several sports have sport specific governing bodies managing classification for amputee sportspeople.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenn Im</span> American vlogger

Jennifer Dohee Im is an American fashion beauty vlogger and fashion designer. She is best known for her YouTube channel, previously titled ClothesEncounters, which began in 2010 and reached approximately 2.4 million subscribers as of 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gait deviations</span> Medical condition

Gait deviations are nominally referred to as any variation of standard human gait, typically manifesting as a coping mechanism in response to an anatomical impairment. Lower-limb amputees are unable to maintain the characteristic walking patterns of an able-bodied individual due to the removal of some portion of the impaired leg. Without the anatomical structure and neuromechanical control of the removed leg segment, amputees must use alternative compensatory strategies to walk efficiently. Prosthetic limbs provide support to the user and more advanced models attempt to mimic the function of the missing anatomy, including biomechanically controlled ankle and knee joints. However, amputees still display quantifiable differences in many measures of ambulation when compared to able-bodied individuals. Several common observations are whole-body movements, slower and wider steps, shorter strides, and increased sway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blair St. Clair</span> American drag performer and recording artist

Blair St. Clair is an American drag queen, singer, and hair stylist known for competing on the tenth season of the reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race, as well as the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.

Lauren Kobayashi Riihimaki is a Canadian YouTuber known for her video content on the LaurDIY channel as well as her vlog and podcast content on the LaurDIY Vlogs and WILD 'TIL 9 channels, respectively. As of January 2022, LaurDIY has over 8.5 million subscribers, and LaurDIY Vlogs and WILD 'TIL 9 have a combined 535,000 subscribers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tilly Lockey</span> British amputee known for her bionic arms

Tilly Lockey is a British social media personality and amputee known for her bionic arms developed by Open Bionics, which she has used since 2016. In 2021, she competed and went on to win the sixth series of the CBBC competition series Got What It Takes?.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jade Novah</span> American singer-songwriter

Lindsay Fields, known professionally as Jade Novah, is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her YouTube videos covering songs such as "Diamonds" by Rihanna. Novah's debut album, All Blue, was nominated for a 2019 NAACP Image Award in the Best New Artist category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adenike Oyetunde</span> Nigerian founder of amputees united

Adenike Dasola Oyetunde-Lawal, professionally known as Adenike Oyetunde is a Nigerian media personality, radio host, author, lawyer, social media influencer and life coach. She is the founder of Amputees United Initiative and The Gratitude Hub. In 2021, she was appointed by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as the senior special assistant on persons living with disability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandy Horvath</span> American Bi-lateral Above Knee Amputee Mountaineer and Public Figure

Mandy Horvath is a Colorado based American bi-lateral above knee amputee, creative writer, public speaker, actress and mountaineer. She is notable as the first female bi-lateral amputee to summit the Manitou Incline, Pikes Peak (twice), the Statue of Liberty stairwell to the crown, and Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, without the use of prosthetic equipment- using her arms and hands to crawl. Her successful ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro also awards her title of the first legless woman to summit one of the world's Eight Summits without the aid of prosthetic equipment.

References

  1. 1 2 "About Footless Jo". YouTube.
  2. 1 2 3 Hancock, Amanda (2021-08-05). "Colorado Springs woman known as 'Footless Jo' shares her journey of life after amputation". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  3. Hein, Alexandria (2019-02-14). "Colorado woman pens 'breakup' note on foot before amputation". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  4. Trauma Talk (2021-05-25). "I'm Closing This Chapter - Thank You Forever 💜 (not clickbait)". YouTube. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  5. Association of Migraine Disorders (2021-05-25). "Shades for Migraine Partners with Rising Influencers to Empower People with Migraine". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  6. Knott, Kylie (2021-06-18). "Living with migraines: women change diet, schedule to cope with attacks". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  7. Lloyd, Sophie (2024-04-10). "Lady Gaga Ad Sparks Backlash". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  8. 1 2 Walters, Isolde (2019-02-14). "Woman writes 'break up' note on foot before amputation". New York Post. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  9. Footless Jo (2020-07-12). "My Amputation Accident: Horseback Riding Fall That Cost Me My Leg..." YouTube. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  10. Oliveri, Natalie (2019). "'Why I decided to amputate my foot': 'Footless Jo's' brave leap of faith". honey.nine.com.au. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  11. Beckwith, Jo (2020-08-27). "*Sappy Post Ahead*". Instagram. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  12. Footless Jo (May 2022). "why I disappeared for two months [CC]". YouTube. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  13. Footless Jo (2024-03-01). "I had a stroke - minutes after I hit 1 millions subscribers". Youtube. Retrieved 2024-05-04.