Jo Beckwith

When she was 13, Beckwith fell off a horse while riding in Colorado Springs, fracturing her ankle. She subsequently underwent many surgeries, but remained with chronic pain and limited functionality.[2]

Beckwith began her YouTube channel, Footless Jo, during her recovery from amputation in 2018.[3] In 2019, the channel became more prominent following a video she released title, "How I Said Goodbye to My Ankle". That video went viral and garnered over 8 million views.[2] Footless Jo focusses on amputation, disability, and mental health. Beckwith's second channel, Trauma Talk, which she stopped posting to in 2021,[4] explored living in the aftermath of trauma.

In 2021, Beckwith partnered with Shades for Migraine in a media campaign to raise awareness about migraines.[5] She has said her migraines, which began in her 20s, are more debilitating and difficult than being an amputee.[6]

As of August 2021, Footless Jo has 169,000 subscribers. Beckwith also has 40,000 followers on Instagram and 500,000 followers on TikTok.[2]

Beckwith lives with her husband, Brian, in Colorado.[7] In 2018, at age 27, Beckwith began considering amputation after being told that an ankle replacement, the other treatment option, would only delay amputation for another 30–40 years.[8] She underwent below-knee amputation on October 11, 2018 at the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver.[9][7]