Kreamelmeyer’s wife, Claudia, said that if there was any human being who could put his best foot — albeit his only foot — forward, it was her husband.
“He probably won’t do a Masters World Cup again, but he’ll be figuring out which athletic activities he can do,” she said. “Having an open mind and an open heart, that’s Jon’s nature. My hope is that he stays connected with the International Paralympic Committee.
“He had good understanding before,” she added, referring to his keen eye for movement analysis and determining what Paralympic athletes were capable of as an able-bodied man. “But he’s going to have an even more profound understanding now.”
Kreamelmeyer’s amputee friends have for a long time jokingly referred to themselves as “the gimp club.” Kreamelmeyer accepts his membership with humility.
“I don’t know if it’s ironical, or a blessing, but I had 20 years of experience being around disabled athletes, so I have an understanding of what’s going on,” he said. “I’m proud to be part of the club. On the other hand, being part of the club requires a lot of acceptance. I’m still in that period of trying to accept what I can do and what I can’t do.”