Whether he’s leading on the soccer field, hiking Montana trails or fostering positivity in everyday life, Jake Birecki is making space for pursuing his passions and nurturing his well-being. 

While his journey has been shaped by living with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, he wants people to know that his individuality has been informed more by a commitment to personal development, positivity and authenticity than by living with a skeletal condition.  

“I want to show people that I am not that different. I think a lot of people are surprised when they see me weightlifting, running or playing soccer,” Jake says. “These are normal things, but to a lot of people, they’ve never seen somebody like me doing them. That’s not the main reason why I’m into fitness, but I think that’s a positive.” 

We spoke with Jake as part of our new campaign featuring stories about people living with skeletal conditions, caregivers and advocates to learn what they are “making space” for in their daily lives. This series will seek to shed light on the lived experiences and perspectives of the community to illustrate the variety of ways people are navigating life with a genetic skeletal condition.  

Jake, a 21-year-old Arizona native, spends his days as a landscaping contractor and is an intern with the United Adaptive Soccer Association, an organization focused on providing soccer opportunities for players with disabilities. It promotes inclusion through adaptive camps, resources for coaches, and competitive pathways for players age 10 and older, aiming to increase participation in the American soccer community. Jake, who refers to soccer as his first passion, also plays competitively with the United States Dwarf Futbol Association. 

“Soccer was the first sport I played, and I fell in love with it,” he says. “One of the reasons why I want to help grow this soccer for dwarfism and these adaptive athletes is because I want these kids to have a better chance than I did to play competitive sports.”

Off the soccer pitch, Jake likes to be outside and in nature as much as possible. He makes an annual trip to Montana to visit family and explore the hiking trails and rivers, where he flyfishes for trout.  

“We’re always doing outdoor stuff because we’re in Montana. It’s the prime land to do it,” Jake says. “But I also like to go up to Northern Arizona, where we have the mountains and great hiking and fishing.” 

Spending time in nature helps Jake stay present, but when he can’t get to the sanctuary of the great outdoors, he’s learned to find peace from within while reflecting on and learning from his journey. 

“A lot of it has to do with my just being centered around my family and my faith and that we have a choice to be grateful,” Jake says. “When I was younger, and first getting into sports and I was around average-height people, I was more able-bodied, but I wasn’t as grateful for it quite yet. I was closer to everybody in size, I didn’t stand out as much. And then, as I got older, things got tougher mentally and I started to realize, ‘Hey, I am different.’ And so, there was a period where it was very hard.” 

While acknowledging what may set him apart in the eyes of some, Jake is ultimately eager to point out that we all have more in common than we tend to believe. 

“We’re all just trying to do the same things – achieve our goals and live our best lives,” he says. “It’s not like I’ve been thrown into a completely different universe just because I stand at 4 feet tall. I’m still an adult trying to figure things out. Just some of the pieces might be a little different.”