CLEVELAND, Ohio – Sometimes it takes just a single word to change a person’s life, to set a person on a totally unexpected path.

Sometimes it can even be as simple as, “Yes.”

Six years ago, Jenna Fesemyer of Ravenna received that three-letter answer from the Ohio High School Athletic Association, and her life has never been the same. On Monday, she will compete against the world’s best in the Boston Marathon, three weeks after placing second at the Los Angeles Marathon.

Because the OHSAA voted to add wheelchair events to the 2013 Ohio state track and field meet, Fesemyer has gone from being Ohio’s first high school female wheelchair track and field champion to being a professional wheelchair racer – with hopes of representing her country in the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

“It’s amazing to think that this journey started for me all because of the yes that came from the OHSAA – their yes to adding wheelchair events to the state track meet,” Fesemyer said. “I am so grateful for their yes.”

Now a wheelchair athlete at the University of Illinois — she is expecting to graduate in December with a double major in kinesiology and communications—the 22-year-old is headed to her 11th career marathon in Boston. She has twice won the Columbus Marathon. Her fastest time came last fall in the Chicago Marathon, 1 hour, 56 minutes, 37 seconds.

Fesemyer was born without a left leg and hip socket because of a rare congenital disease called proximal femoral focal deficiency. She grew up playing basketball and other sports with a prosthetic, which defied doctors’ early predictions. She played varsity golf. She also ran sprints and threw the discus on the Ravenna Southeast High School track team, which was coached by her mother, Cindy.

“I am so grateful that I have a strong community back in Northeastern Ohio,” she said. “My family is so supporting of what I am doing as an athlete. I know a lot of people say this, but I really feel in my heart that I wouldn’t have the progress that I have today without my family and my community back home.”

Fesemyer still considers the OHSAA as part of her community, including Commissioner Dan Ross, who has since retired. Ross had tears in his eyes when he presented Fesemyer the state’s first gold medal for wheelchair racing in 2013. Ohio became the 17th state to include wheelchair racing in track and field, and Fesemyer was one of 10 wheelchair athletes at the state meet that year.

“I don’t know whether Jenna will ever realize the inspiration she’s given to people, but she’s touched an awful lot of people’s hearts,” Ross said.

The community is so tight that the Fesemyer family still gets together with Ross and his wife. Of course, Jenna’s community also includes her family—parents, Dave and Cindy, and Jenna’s triplet siblings Jonathon and Jessica.

Ross and Jenna speak often, both before and after her major competitions.

“I think the most important thing that she has done is the kind of person that she is. She’s a really, really good athlete, but she’s a better person,’’ Ross said.

“She’s a blessing.”

As the first individual to do something, Fesemyer often is referred to as a pioneer. But she balks at that characterization.

“I don't think I really consider myself a pioneer,” she said. “I would consider myself a vessel for the OHSAA in creating an inclusive opportunity and promoting physical fitness for individuals with disabilities. And at the end of the day, that's what it's truly about. It's not about the medals, the records, or the money. It's about creating true mental toughness and learning leadership and work ethic characteristics through exercise.”

That statement is a clear indication of how Fesemyer has grown in the past four years while competing with Illinois wheelchair track and road racing team under the tutelage of Coach Adam Bleakney, who medaled in the 2004 Paralympic Games. Because wheelchair athletics is not overseen by the NCAA, Fesemyer and her teammates are able to represent the school and also be considered professional athletes.

Fesemyer said she had an epiphany at the beginning of the year and that she has changed her focus. She now is much more concerned with the means instead of the ends, something that she said she has learned from Bleakney.

“My coach has always chirped at us the last couple of years about the idea of just working on the whole person,” Fesemyer said. “He really focuses on each athlete and recognizing them as an athlete, recognizing them as a student, recognizing them in terms of whatever extracurriculars they are involved in. . . Finally this year I was able to recognize that, and I spent a lot of time in reflection.’’

Actually, it was an injury that kept Fesemyer out of commission for much of 2018 that also helped her re-focus her approach and, therefore, her lifestyle. She developed radial tunnel syndrome, which created weakness in her right hand and forced her to miss the Boston Marathon.

“After going through that, I had to kind of take a step back and try to figure out a new direction in the sport,’’ she said. “I am much happier this way. I think being in the sport is going to be more sustainable by focusing on the process and falling in love with the sport along the way.”

Her goals had to change as well.

“I’m going to be honest with you and this is probably unlike any athlete you’ve talked to, but I’ve kind of earned my goals,” Fesemyer said. “I’m really trying to become more process-oriented instead of outcome-oriented, and I woke up one day to realize that a lot of the goals that I had are out of my control.’’

Still, her primary goal is to make the 2020 U.S. Paralympic team.

“But I can’t focus on making Team USA without being a little more process-oriented,’’ she said. “If I make Team USA in 2020 that would be great, but I want to make sure that I’m enjoying every step along the way.”