Breadcrumb Trail LinksSportsLocal SportsOlympics'Lucy's Fancy Leg' tells humourous stories about a young girl designing her own prosthetics Get the latest from Darrell Davis straight to your inbox Sign Up Published Feb 03, 2025 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 3 minute readLisa DeJong, a silver medalist snowboarder in the 2022 Paralympics, has written a children's book called "Lucy's Fancy Leg" about a girl who builds her own prosthetic legs. DeJong reads to a group of children inside the Saskatchewan Sport Hall of Fame and Museum on Friday, January 31, 2025 in Regina. KAYLE NEIS / Regina Leader-Post Photo by KAYLE NEIS /Regina Leader-PostArticle contentLisa DeJong’s snowboarding career took her from Biggar in flatland Saskatchewan to an international stage in Beijing, where she won a silver medal in snowboard cross at the 2022 Winter Paralympics.Article contentArticle contentIt was Canada’s first Paralympic medal in snowboarding. DeJong retired from competing soon afterwards, planning to support the Para snowboarding program as an administrator and teach adaptive lessons while also being a mom to two young daughters and writing a children’s book called “Lucy’s Fancy Leg.”Advertisement 2Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Regina Leader-Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Regina Leader-Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content“I’m on the athletes’ council now, supporting the team from the other side of the table,” said DeJong, who stopped in Regina last week to read her book to schoolchildren at the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.“There’s never a good time to dedicate your life to training and competing at that level, so there was always kind of a start and an end to it, especially with a young family.”DeJong, her husband and young daughters (ages seven and nine) live in Sherwood Park, Alta., where they ride their horses and 2-3 times weekly ski on several groomed hills surrounding Edmonton. The kids ski; mom boards.When she was growing up in Saskatchewan, DeJong was part of a “skiing family” who frequented Stranraer Ski Hill, also known as “Twin Towers” before it closed 15 years ago. Despite having the lower part of her left leg amputated at age three because it was missing growth plates and bones, DeJong loved becoming a snowboarder and eventually pursued her passion onto Canada’s team at age 30. In addition to her second- and eighth-place finishes at the 2022 Paralympics, DeJong also won gold in the team event at that year’s world championships in Switzerland, plus silver in snowboard cross and banked slalom.Headline NewsGet the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Thanks for signing up!A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Headline News will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againArticle contentAdvertisement 3Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentInspired by reading with her daughters, DeJong decided to write a “light-hearted and humourous take on growing up as an amputee” because there weren’t many books like that available. So she self-published through FriesenPress in Manitoba, working closely during her two-year project with Pia Reyes to get the illustrations just right.One of the parts that draws the most laughs from her audiences, DeJong said, is when Lucy kicks a soccer ball and her self-designed prosthetic leg comes flying off.“Lucy’s an inventor,” said DeJong, who said the story was mildly autobiographical except she never designed her own expensive prosthetics. “I do a lot of school tours and it’s a great introduction to all the different adaptive equipment that we as amputees use.“I’ll bring my book in and I’ll bring a bunch of my old legs and the kids can pass them around. It’s a really great visual. Some kids are a little nervous and apprehensive about the presentation, and by the end you have all these kids running around, trying to put these legs on.”DeJong is also a representative for War Amps, which tries to help amputees and non-amputees become comfortable with the subject. That’s partly why the hall brought her for a visit, timed appropriately to coincide with “Grind, a street-style snowboarding” event held as part of Frost Festival during this past weekend in downtown Regina.Advertisement 4Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentThe hall occasionally brings in authors or other guest speakers, including well-known local runner Ted Jaleta and Bill Brownridge. Jaleta wrote “Never Give Up” and Brownridge wrote “A Winter’s Warmth: Celebrating the Joys of Winter Sports.”“Canadian Sports Centre Saskatchewan were happy to partner with us for getting Lisa involved,” said Matthew Gourlie, communications coordinator for the SSHF. “With there being snowboarding at Frost this year it just seemed like a perfect fit to be able to … engage another Saskatchewan author with a sports background.”Free copies of “Lucy’s Fancy Leg” are available for hall visitors under 10 until the end of March.Recommended from Editorial Darrell Davis: Gerry James and I didn't get along until our final, memorable meeting https://leaderpost.com/sports/darrell-davis-gerry-james-and-i-didnt-get-along-until-our-final-memorable-meeting The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.Article contentShare this article in your social networkComments Join the Conversation Featured Local Savings

Paralympic snowboarder Lisa DeJong wrote a children's book

Headline News Get the latest from Darrell Davis straight to your inbox Sign Up Article content Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. DeJong is also a representative for War Amps, which tries to help amputees and non-amputees become comfortable with the subject. That’s partly why the hall brought her […]

Headline News

Get the latest from Darrell Davis straight to your inbox

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

DeJong is also a representative for War Amps, which tries to help amputees and non-amputees become comfortable with the subject. That’s partly why the hall brought her for a visit, timed appropriately to coincide with “Grind, a street-style snowboarding” event held as part of Frost Festival during this past weekend in downtown Regina.DeJong is also a representative for War Amps, which tries to help amputees and non-amputees become comfortable with the subject. That’s partly why the hall brought her for a visit, timed appropriately to coincide with “Grind, a street-style snowboarding” event held as part of Frost Festival during this past weekend in downtown Regina.DeJong is also a representative for War Amps, which tries to help amputees and non-amputees become comfortable with the subject. That’s partly why the hall brought her for a visit, timed appropriately to coincide with “Grind, a street-style snowboarding” event held as part of Frost Festival during this past weekend in downtown Regina.

Story continues below