Travis Gaertner

Canadian-American actuary (born 1980) Travis Gaertner (born January 16, 1980) is a Canadian-American actuary. He previously competed with Team Canada in the Paralympic Games in wheelchair basketball, where he won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Paralympics and the 2004 Summer Paralympics. Early life and education Gaertner was born on January 16, 1980, in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada to parents Diana and Jonathan. He was born with a congenital disease causing him to be born without a left and half a right leg. Until he was in fifth grade, Gaertner used a prosthetic leg but eventually switched to a wheelchair for better mobility. When Gaertner was twelve years old, Jonathan died of cancer and he decided to take up wheelchair basketball. By Grade 6, he qualified for the Manitoba Ramblers of the Manitoba Wheelchair Sports Association, and later joined the Manitoba senior wheelchair team. His play caught the attention of a Canadian coach who invited him to try out for the Canadian Paralympic team. Career Gaertner joined Team Canada in 1998 and was selected to play for Canada at the 2000 Summer Paralympics. After returning to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign with a gold med