Quotes from Jessica Long

After a Paralympic Games, I usually take a few months off to enjoy life or go on a family vacation.

At age 4 I started in gymnastics and used that as an outlet for my endless energy for several years.

Overall, I believe there has been a significant shift in the acceptance and appreciation of Paralympic athletes, but we still have a long way to go.

I have trained so so hard to be where I am at - I train with Olympic athletes and if I'm struggling to get to the top then there is something wrong.

My parents in America always told me that I was adopted. It's never been a secret to me.

All my life I have had to fight to catch up with people. But not in the water. That's the one place where everyone else is trying to keep up with me!

As a 12-year-old when I won my first gold in Athens, I wanted people to know what the Paralympic games were.

I didn't think anybody else in the entire world looked like me.

I have never viewed myself as disabled.

Each year the excitement and the build-up for the Paralympics Games has grown more and more.

I really love to sleep. I think that's an amputee thing because I'm exhausted throughout the day.

I'm a leap year baby.

I've always just been really really active and I never wanted my legs to hold me back.

In 2018 I really hurt my back, my lower back, and it's been a couple of years where we finally found out that I have an extra vertebra in my back.