Lacey Heward

Certified Peer Specialist (She/Her/Hers)

special interests: Abuse Recovery | Medical Trauma Recovery | Physical disability & chronic illness support | PTSD | Anxiety & Depression | OUtdoor recreation |Self-cAre

“We are all intrinsically valuable, and we were born unbroken. But we learn to protect, reject,  and neglect ourselves as a reaction to the pains and hurts we experience on our path through  life.” 

Lacey was born in the untamed hills of Idaho, where she grew up with an outdoor enthusiast family ready to jump on a horse and head to the mountains. This lifestyle was challenging for  Lacey, but she quickly learned to adapt and overcome many challenges.  

At 16 months old, Lacey’s spine was crushed by a huge weight that spun and fell off a weight bench, leaving her partially paralyzed from the waist down. She learned to walk on braces and crutches, but after an unfortunate surgical blunder, she has used a wheelchair for her mobility for 32 years.  

At 14, she fell in love with the freedom that alpine downhill skiing gave her from her limiting wheelchair and decided to follow her dream to compete in the Winter Paralympic Games.  All the while, Lacey grew up singing. She learned to play the guitar as a teenager to accompany her original music and cope with multiple streams of trauma, anxiety, and depression.  

In 2002 Lacey competed in the Paralympic Winter Games and won two bronze medals.  The following year she won the World Cup overall, but a terrifying diagnosis of kidney failure challenged her success.  

“I used to have harsh and critical thoughts about people who weren’t living their ‘best lives.’  Kidney failure was very humbling. It taught me deep compassion and understanding for those  around me suffering greatly and surviving with incredible grace.”  

Lacey’s kidney disease led her down a path of self-awareness and mindfulness and eventually led her to trauma therapy.  

In 2009 Lacey received the life-saving gift of a kidney from her older sister, which gave her a  second chance and ten more years.  

With newfound freedom, Lacey started the first winter Paralympic and Special Olympic camp in her home state of Idaho. She worked for an equine therapy ranch and finished her bachelor's degree in Communications and Public Relations. After competing as an adventure racer and moving to Wisconsin, Lacey’s kidney health declined, and she needed another kidney transplant.  

Lacey’s younger sister was another willing and able live donor candidate, and in 2018 Lacey received her second kidney transplant at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.  

“I asked myself, ‘who am I to be given so much?’ This loving gift has steeled in me a strong  desire to use my life as a conduit for love and compassionate belonging to those, like me, who  have found themselves suffering from trauma in life.” 

Lacey is thriving with her second kidney transplant, and in her free time, she rides her adaptive mountain bike, loves playing with her and her husband's 12 sled dogs, writing music, and talking to her sisters on the phone.  

Lacey has lived experience with childhood abuse trauma, medical trauma, PTSD, anxiety,  depression, physical disability, and chronic illness. With a lifetime of experience navigating medical and social systems, Lacey hopes to make this navigation easier for others. She also has systems for self-care, including taking handfuls of medication, managing her activities of daily living, and using recreation as a modality for health and wellbeing.