A thought recently struck eight-time Paralympic medalist Oksana Masters: What would young Oksana, the one who shuffled between Ukrainian orphanages, think of this grown-up version?
Young Oksana was always resilient, determined and headstrong — qualities that helped her persevere through years in an orphanage and with birth defects believed to be from the aftermath of Chernobyl, the world’s worst nuclear accident. That malnourished orphan eventually was adopted by her American mom.
Now 32, Masters remains just as resilient, determined and headstrong — qualities that helped her rise to the top in multiple Paralympic sports spanning the Winter and Summer Games.