In June 2026, Hunter Schofield, a participant in LIFE’s Supported Independent Living community on Cape Cod, competed at the Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
During these competitive games, she set personal records throughout the week before winning gold in the mini javelin, silver in the 400-meter run, and helping Team Massachusetts earn bronze in the women’s 4×100 relay. Determination has always been a part of her story.
In preparation for the national games where she delivered one standout performance after another, Hunter was working out daily.
This is a long way from where she started with her life-threatening condition and was in a coma. Hunter defines herself “as an athlete, a fighter, and someone who has spent my entire life proving that obstacles don’t define us.”
As a young hockey athlete, she acquired a love for running and the feeling of speed, and has not stopped running. Every day – regardless of the weather – Hunter runs. She has learned how to use phone apps to track her daily runs.
With a love for being outdoors, Hunter starts her day as early as 6:00 AM with a two-hour workout, often with a run at a local track where LIFE individual Luke Anderson also runs as part of his workouts (Personal Marathon Journey). She loves her outdoor workouts, regardless of the weather.
Hunter is coached by Kim Cassim, CPT, LIFE Head Trainer & Wellness Coordinator, who develops creative workouts to match Hunter’s athletic abilities and drive to achieve her next goal.
In preparation for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Hunter competed in three events — the javelin, the 400-meter run, and the 4×100-meter relay, she practiced throwing the mini jav to perfection and during her two-hour morning workouts. Additionally, she added workouts on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as weekday workouts in the LIFE gym.
Her Beginning Was Very Different
As a baby, Hunter was diagnosed with Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) — a rare and serious autoimmune disorder that causes sudden inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. This inflammation damages myelin, the protective white-matter coating around our nerves, leading to severe neurological symptoms.
ADEM often appears after a simple childhood infection, when the immune system becomes confused and attacks healthy cells. It progresses rapidly and unpredictably — and in Hunter’s case, it struck again and again. Her first attack was at one year old, another at three, the most devastating at five, and another attack at seven. Each one brought new challenges and the possibility of lasting damage.
After the attack at age five, Hunter fell into a months-long coma. Doctors told her family that she might never wake up. With every relapse, her loved ones were forced to hear the same devastating words: “Prepare for the worst.”
But her family never stopped hoping — and neither did Hunter.
She was treated at Boston Children’s Hospital, but her condition eventually became too complex for acute care, and was transported to Spaulding Hospital at Mass General, still in a coma. Her family stood afraid, heartbroken, and unsure of what the future held.
Hunter said, “something inside me kept fighting.” Still in a coma, she smiled — a moment my mom will never forget. That small sign of life was everything. It meant I was still here. It meant I was coming back.
From that moment forward, her recovery became a story of determination, therapy, and the belief that she could reclaim the life ADEM tried to take from her. She refused to let ADEM define her future.
She eventually left Spaulding Hospital on rollerblades. That moment wasn’t just a discharge — it was a comeback.
Hunter’s Recipe for Success
Hunter receives Supported Employment Services, and when she is not in the gym working out, she works at Panera Bread, where they appreciate her work ethic as a Food Service Associate and years of service as a reliable, dedicated employee who coordinates her own transportation. She loves the healthy meals at her workplace and enjoys the strawberry poppyseed salad with a dragonfruit beverage. (A healthy choice, of course!)
Her boss, Jayme, recognized Hunter’s Special Olympics accomplishments and makes schedule accommodations for Hunter’s competition days and celebrated her Special Olympics success with a one-of-a-kind shirt.
In one word, Hunter describes herself as “unstoppable.”
She learned how to book Uber rides for work transportation and has taken the bus to Boston. She says, “I’m independent and go anywhere I please.”
Hunter has been part of the Living Independently Forever (LIFE) supported independent living community for five years. She enjoys many of the LIFE social programs and has an active social life with friends, which includes line dancing where she swaps her running shoes and baseball cap for a pair of blue boots and a cowboy hat.
Hunter is living her best LIFE.
Congratulations to Hunter on her three medals, which were the result of many hours of practice, determination, and a strong belief in herself.
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Note: Featured photo and portions of this post were originally posted on Special Olympics MA website.
