Born in 1989 Ukraine with extensive physical challenges, missing bones and parts of limbs, muscle,s and organ tissue due to in-utero radiation poisoning from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Oksana Masters was left to fend for herself in an orphanage. The world was stacked against her, and the conditions in the three orphanages she endured were, as she described, truly brutal. But, she refused to give up.Then, at age 7, she’d find herself adopted by a single, American mom, whose own years-long journey to bring Oksana home is its own a...
Born in 1989 Ukraine with extensive physical challenges, missing bones and parts of limbs, muscle,s and organ tissue due to in-utero radiation poisoning from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Oksana Masters was left to fend for herself in an orphanage. The world was stacked against her, and the conditions in the three orphanages she endured were, as she described, truly brutal. But, she refused to give up.
Then, at age 7, she’d find herself adopted by a single, American mom, whose own years-long journey to bring Oksana home is its own astonishing story. The simple fact that she survived is remarkable. But, she didn’t just survive, once in her home, enduring multiple additional surgeries and amputations, her indomitable spirit refused to let anyone tell her what she could or could not do.
And, nearly a decade later, she’d end up stunning not just her mom, and the local community, but the entire world, becoming the United States' most decorated winter Paralympic or Olympic athlete, taking home seventeen medals in four different sports. She has since been featured everywhere from Sports Illustrated to The New York Times and has written a powerful memoir, The Hard Parts: A Memoir of Courage and Triumph, that recounts her astonishing journey from the shadow of Chernobyl to the world's biggest stages.
In today’s deeply moving and inspiring conversation, you'll discover:
- How an unwavering spirit can conquer the most daunting physical challenges.
- The power of love, support, and perseverance in overcoming trauma and adversity.
- The importance of embracing your unique differences and using them to your advantage.
- What it takes to excel in not just one, but four different sports on the world stage.
- The life-changing impact of a single decision to never give up.
- And so much more.
Join us as we explore the extraordinary life of Oksana Masters, and learn how she turned her greatest challenges into her most exceptional victories. How she became unstoppable, and showed the world what was possible.
You can find Oksana at: Website | Instagram
If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Kyle Bryant about how to transform challenges into action.
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