May 26, 2025 | Our Patients

A decade of international success

STARS Very Important Patient and Paralympic Bronze Medalist Jennifer Oakes poses against a wall at a volleyball gym, the word VOLLEYBALL painted on the court in front of her.

Since being rescued by STARS, Jennifer Oakes has represented Canada on the world stage, won a Paralympic medal, and travelled the globe.

Ten years ago, then-17-year-old Jennifer Oakes was enjoying a hot summer day at her parents’ cabin near Brooks, Alta. But on that July afternoon, Oakes came dangerously close to losing her life.

She was kneeling at the front of her family boat when it hit some rogue waves, and she fell off. As the boat went over her, its propeller sliced her leg in multiple places. The damage to her leg could have been fatal because of the significant blood loss.

Oakes survived, thanks to STARS and her family and friends, who acted quickly to rescue her. Although she lost her leg, she’s gone on to experience extraordinary moments in the decade that has since passed.

STARS Very Important Patient and Canadian National Sitting Volleyball team member and bronze medalist Jennifer Oakes poses for a photo during practice, teammates pictured in the background.

An Athlete By Nature

Sports played a big role in Oakes’ recovery — she didn’t let anything keep her from returning to her sporting life, namely volleyball. She was still in the hospital when she discovered the women’s national sitting volleyball team. Watching them compete in a Paralympic-qualifying tournament, Oakes thought it would be a dream to play alongside them.

Before she was even fitted for a prosthetic, Oakes started playing sitting volleyball. It’s different from the game she was used to — it involves a smaller court, a lower net, and players seated on the floor — but she took to it quickly. The following February, she joined the
national team. By September, Oakes was in a stadium rumbling with excitement, representing Canada at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“To play on that world stage was something that I’ve always dreamed of, and that was the first time that it was a reality,” she said.

My family and I always celebrate my anniversaries at the lake: to celebrate life, be grateful that I’m alive, and that I get to have this amazing life with family and friends.”
– Jennifer Oakes

And it wasn’t the last time. Oakes represented Canada on the national sitting volleyball team in the 2020 Tokyo Games and again in Paris 2024 when she became a Paralympic bronze medalist.

In addition to the Paralympic destinations, sitting volleyball has sent her to China, Egypt, Peru, Bosnia, and several other European countries. “Having the opportunity to travel internationally and compete for Canada was just such a great opportunity for me, and I just kept falling in love with the sport.”

STARS Very Important Patient and Canadian National Sitting Volleyball team member and bronze medalist Jennifer Oakes gets ready to pass a volleyball during practice.

When she’s not serving the ball or globetrotting, Oakes works for a marketing agency serving agriculture clients from her home in Brooks, where she lives with her fiancé. Oakes credits her accomplishments to STARS, her family, and the support system she’s had throughout the last decade. Every year, on the anniversary of her accident, she goes out to the lake with her family to toast life and the wonderful moments she’s had since.