Mutual Inspiration Keeps Donihoo Connected to Her Biggest Fan
Top StoriesJemma Gallman didn’t want to leave her seat at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium. Oklahoma and Florida State were playing in the 2021 national championship series and Jemma was fixated on the game. Her friend kept asking her to go get Dippin’ Dots, but Jemma refused.
Denying herself the sweet treat was rewarded with a lifetime memory.
Oklahoma’s Mackenzie Donihoo made a leaping grab in left field that filled the highlight reels for weeks to come. Donihoo pounded the fence with the ball, displaying an energy and fire that captured Jemma’s attention.
“I saw her catch it and I wanted to be like her when I was older,” Jemma said. “She worked so hard to get that catch.”
It’s led to a relationship between Jemma and Donihoo that has sustained through a transfer of schools and miles of separation.
But the two will be back together in Oklahoma this week as Donihoo and her Tennessee teammates participate in the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
Jemma, 10, is from Tuttle, Oklahoma. She was born with tibial hemimelia, a condition in which the tibia in the leg is shorter than normal or missing altogether. The condition is extremely rare, occurring in only about 1 in every 1 million births. Jemma had to have her right leg amputated at 9 months old.
She also has ectrodactyly, which is characterized by the absence or malformation of one or more fingers or toes. Jemma has just three fingers on each hand
But she’s never let any of that limit her. She plays softball, basketball, swims and runs track. Next week, Jemma will be participating in the Endeavor Games, one of the largest multi-sport competitions in the nation for people with physical disabilities.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger @kellyclarkson
6 fingers
3 toes
1 leg
0 problems 🥎❤️🏀🔥🏈 pic.twitter.com/kfvu4OsNBk— Tamara Gallman (@RenfroTamara) February 18, 2022
Softball is Jemma’s favorite sport, and ever since she saw Donihoo make the catch that inspired a line of Jump Lou gear, Donihoo has been Jemma’s favorite player.
“She is an inspiration to me,” said Donihoo, an Oklahoma native. “To know that someone that has a disability looks up to me just makes me feel like, ‘Wow. I am able to make that kind of an impact.'”
Despite having her leg amputated, Jemma always wanted to do everything all the other kids were doing. She followed her brother into Tee-ball at age 3 and transitioned to softball by age 5.
She wears a prosthetic leg, and received her first running blade in 2016 with help from the Never Say Never Foundation, which sponsors disabled athletes in a multitude of sports.
“It was such a drastic change,” said Jemma’s mother, Tamara. “She never walked to the bases, but it took her a hot second to get there. But once she got that blade, it was like she had a leg personality change. Once she put the leg on, it was go time. She was rounding the bases and running everywhere.”
Tamara estimates Jemma has gone through 17 legs over the years. Because she is so active, she usually uses the blade leg every day. The family visits Scottish Rite for Children in Dallas, which provides financial assistance based on income.
Tamara said the cost of prosthetic legs for Jemma are about $17,000 and the blades are about $2,500. The blades last about six to eight months.
“The blades are not covered by insurance,” Tamara said. “They are considered a luxury and not a necessity.”
But the blades have provided Jemma with freedom, confidence and sense of normality. In softball, she is a utility player and pitcher. She is ambidextrous and a switch hitter.
Jemma became a left-handed pitcher because her mom feared pitching on her prosthetic side would hurt her hand on the follow through.
“I told her if she relearned in the other direction I would allow her to pitch,” her mom said. “It took her about four months to completely have it where she has confidence in it. But she did it and has kept up with it.”
It isn’t always easy for Jemma to be as active as she wants. She suffers from rashes, infections, sores and cracks from her prosthetic.
“Her legs can wear out and she has to spend a couple of days in her wheelchair,” her mom said. “It’s gotten to the point where she sacrifices days at school in the wheelchair to make sure she gets to play ball at night.”
Jemma has an OU wrap on her prosthetic leg to showcase her love for the Sooners. But after Donhioo transferred to Tennessee, Jemma’s loyalty to her remained strong.
“I remember Jemma saying, ‘I will follow Mackenzie anywhere she goes’ and that is exactly what she has done,” Tamara said. “She doesn’t like orange because of Oklahoma State, but she will wear Tennessee orange for Mackenzie.”
Donihoo’s family recently invited Jemma to Knoxville to throw out the first pitch at a Tennessee game. Her family made the long drive from Oklahoma, and Jemma and Donihoo were thrilled to see each other in person again. They have stayed in touch largely through social media over the last year.
“Jemma is a firecracker. She is fun to be around,” Donihoo said. “Her disability does not stop her from being who she is. Nobody allows her to get mistreated or anything. She doesn’t care about any of that stuff.”
Donhioo, now starting at shorstop for Tennessee, played a starring role in the 2021 WCWS to help lead the Sooners to a national title. She batted .476 with 10 RBI and three home runs while making a string of great defensive plays.
She’s hoping for a similar run this year with the Lady Vols, and Jemma is hoping to be in the stands in OKC again to watch.
Jemma’s goals are to play college softball and become a Paralympic swimmer. Many people have told Jemma how much they admire her. Her answer is a big reason why it’s all been possible.
“She is like, ‘For what?’” her mom said. “Because she doesn’t see herself as disabled or different. She’s just out there playing ball like everyone else.