Nick Hartman didn’t just step onto the mat at the 2026 ADCC West Coast Trials to compete – he stepped on it with a purpose far bigger than himself.
After winning the +99kg division and earning his ADCC invitation, the emotion was immediate:
Oh my God, what a rush. It’s one of the greatest days of my life.
Seven years ago I started Jiu-Jitsu. Six years ago I had my daughter. That was the greatest day of my life, the day that she was born.
What followed shifted the entire narrative:
I wanted to use this moment. I worked so hard to get to this point because I wanted to use this as a platform.
A year after my daughter was born she lost her vision, she lost her hearing.
His daughter, Jackie, lives with RTD type 2, a rare medical condition that dramatically changed her life early on:
A year after my daughter was born she lost her vision, she lost her hearing.
It was my goal to get here. I get in front of a bunch of people and tell them, I want to find out where the doctors are, where the hospitals are, that can help my daughter.
The publicity is what I needed.
Standing in front of a global audience, Hartman made a heartfelt appeal:
I’m hoping that someone out there that can see this right now. Sweetest little girl in the world. I just want her to live…
I want her to live as close to a normal life as possible.This is for her, for Jackie.
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