02-07-2025
She has dreams of playing for the USA at the Paralympics, but first the U.S. Adaptive Open
Don't be surprised if Meredith Dwyer is competing for Team USA at the Paralympics in 2028. That's her next goal. And while the 30-year-old from Teaneck hasn't been an amputee for very long, she has plenty of experience living up to her own high expectations.
Dwyer is one of three New Jersey residents who qualified for the fourth U.S. Adaptive Open Championship, which starts July 7 at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland. She was the female medalist at the April 23 qualifier at Haworth Country Club.
Brandon Canesi, a 33-year-old from Northfield who was born without hands, finished second on the fourth playoff hole to earn his spot in the 96-player field, which includes individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities. Tyler Cashman, a legally blind 22-year-old from Oldwick, is back for another Adaptive Open after finishing second among visually impaired competitors last summer.
Dwyer was a three-sport athlete at Academy of the Holy Angels in Demarest, despite being born with a left clubfoot. When her parents, Jim and Joan Dwyer, first met the exuberant toddler at an orphanage in Novgorod, Russia, Jim Dwyer recalled her "running out with this clubfoot and a big smile on her face, jumping over the toys that are there. We fell in love with her."
A lifetime playing through pain
For years, Meredith walked on the side of her twisted left foot. She had her first surgery at 18 months old. But it didn't correct the problem, so Dwyer dealt with constant pain. She tried braces and orthotics during childhood, but didn't want to be held back.
Dwyer just wanted to play sports like any other kid. She played soccer, basketball, tennis and golf while growing up in Teaneck. She earned a spot on the tennis team at Loyola University in Maryland and played for two years.
She had her first reconstructive foot surgery in 2016, between graduating from college and starting a master's in social work program at NYU. That started a cycle Dwyer would rather forget.
"You're in pain, then you're recovering, then you're rehabbing, then you're ready for the next surgery," said Dwyer, who had the labrum in her right hip repaired twice. She then had another procedure to shave down bones in her foot to try to ease her pain, and finally, in 2020, surgery to fix hip dysplasia.
In 2022, Dwyer was living in Santa Barbara, California, and working as a project manager for Amazon Alexa's sports team. She returned to the golf course, and also tried beach volleyball and surfing.
Dwyer stepped in a pothole while hiking with her dog and hurt her clubfoot again. After another major surgery, she wasn't healing well.
"I couldn't walk two blocks. I had to drive everywhere. I couldn't go to the beach." She recalled thinking, "Is this how I have to live my life? ... Right then, my priority was, 'I don't want to be in pain anymore.'"
After meeting with specialists at hospitals around the country, Dwyer moved back to New Jersey and elected to amputate her left foot in October 2023.
"I made a decision, but for me, there was no decision. I did everything I could, and this was the last thing left," said Dwyer, who nicknamed her stump "Lefty."
"It was surreal to go through it. It's part of me, but I can talk about, 'Lefty is sore. Lefty's in pain.' It helped me heal mentally and cognitively with the process. ... It's not what I planned, but I'm really happy with how it turned out."
Dwyer isn't shy about showing Lefty off, even if she's spotted people staring or even taking photos on the street. Her prosthesis is metal with no skin-like covering, and she often chooses to wear skirts instead of pants.
More: NJ bill would make insurers cover artificial limbs for athletes. But some feel left out
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in four Americans is living with a disability, about 14% of which impact mobility. Nearly half of those adults with disabilities get no aerobic physical activity.
"I want to own this and be proud of who I am," said Dwyer, who admitted that seeing herself in the mirror without her prosthesis is still sometimes shocking. "I want to show the world what an amputee can do, the quality of life we have. It doesn't hold us back."
Championship dreams reborn
Dwyer did post-surgery rehab and physical therapy with an eye toward returning to competitive sports. She joined the Navigators Adaptive Sports Club, trying track and field for the first time.
Dwyer received a grant from the Challenged Athletes Foundation to buy a running blade and competed for the first time in May. But she discovered she prefers shot put and discus to the track.
Dwyer joined CrossFit to build more strength and power. Recent physical therapy sessions have focused on hip rotation and improving her core strength.
"She achieves one goal and she's on to the next one," said Giancarlo Rozon, who works with Dwyer at Edge Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine in Paramus. "She's very driven to keep getting better, which is very inspirational. It's one achievement after the other. I can't even keep up with her."
Dwyer has already achieved her goal of qualifying for the Adaptive Open. Next up is improving her game enough to be in the top five female adaptive golfers – and to compete in tournaments alongside non-amputees. The 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles are also a distant dream, but Dwyer would compete in the throwing sports, since adaptive golf isn't on the program.
As a front-post golfer, Dwyer has had to adjust her swing to put more weight on her prosthesis. But she's still got solid distance on her drives.
She is working on her short game: wedges and putting. She's also focusing on "trying to stay in the moment" and being more relaxed as she goes around the course, according to Daniel Hammer, the teaching pro at Newton Country Club – and another below-knee amputee.
Dwyer, who lives with her boyfriend, Brett Gray, in Hackensack, is currently No. 2 in the G2 classification on the USGA rankings, behind one of her mentors, Nancy Lee from New York City.
"We went from zero to 100 real quick. This has just exploded," she said. "I have that drive. I always want to be first. ... It's still so new, but I'm an athlete. I want to keep competing."
