“Hunter, it’s not that you can’t do it; it’s just that you might have to find another way to do it.” That’s what Barb Woodhall told her son when he was trying to convince her that he couldn’t anymore. For a boy born without fibulas in both legs and a future that seemed clouded with surgeries, scars, and silence, those words became his oxygen. Hunter Woodhall didn’t just listen. He turned those words into fuel. Into fire. Into five Paralympic medals. And not because the road was easy, but because someone always walked it beside him, even when it was steep, even when it was stormy. That someone was his mom.

When the world handed him prosthetics instead of playbooks and hospital visits instead of high school meets, Barb gave him something far greater — the belief that he could still dream… just differently. And now, as the world celebrates Mother’s Day, Hunter’s not holding a baton or standing on a podium. He’s holding space for the woman who sacrificed so much for him. And once again, he has something to say.

It wasn’t a medal flex. It was just a son with a full heart on Instagram writing about a woman who drove nearly 2,000 miles, not once, but over and over again, to make sure he could live a life as close to normal as possible. Hunter Woodhall shared a heartfelt post this Mother’s Day, alongside a carousel of family photos, some tender, some filled with joy, all anchored by the quiet strength of one woman: his mom, Barb. “My mom used to drive from Georgia to Florida and Montana to SLC for days at a time just to get me appointments to get surgeries and prosthetics,” he wrote on Instagram.

“Didn’t matter how far or how inconvenient it was,” he added. “She’s always given me everything I need to live a normal life.” The post isn’t just about gratitude, it’s a window into sacrifice. When Hunter was just 11 months old, he had both his legs amputated. His condition, fibular hemimelia, left no other viable option. His mom faced a choice that would terrify any parent: cast and straighten the legs, risk painful surgeries, or amputate and give him a chance to adapt to prosthetics. She chose the latter, guided not by fear but by faith in her son’s spirit.

From homeschooling him till age five to everything he faced, Barb stood guard. Every appointment, every consultation, every long road was a silent promise, like, I’ll do whatever it takes! “Moms are so selfless, always putting us first,” Hunter signed off. “The world just wouldn’t go around without moms. Happy Mother’s Day ❤️💐”

And Hunter never fails to appreciate the woman who made him what he is today.

The sky is the limit when Mother is by your side

They say, “She believed she could, so she did.” But for Hunter, initially it was more like, “ She believed he could, so he did,” and it very well is true.

That belief began before he ever took his first steps, literally. With both legs amputated for a child before he was one year old, life handed him limits. But Barb Woodhall handed him wings.

Hunter didn’t just grow up — he grew through the challenges. He picked up prosthetics, laced up blades, and sprinted into history. At just 17, he made his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016, bringing home silver in the 200m T44 and bronze in the 400m T44. That wasn’t just a race — it was a message: he had arrived.

In Tokyo 2020, switching to the T62 category, he added one more bronze medal, pushing through the pandemic, pressure, and pain. But it was Paris 2024 that became the crown jewel of his journey — a place where dreams finally caught up with destiny. After a tough loss in the 100m, Hunter bounced back with the heart of a champion, clinching his prize. And now, with five Paralympic medals, Hunter Woodhall is living proof: when a mother believes in you, the sky isn’t the limit — it’s just the beginning.