The Hard Parts: A Story of Courage and Triumph

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The remarkable and inspirational story of Oksana Masters, who was born with radiation-induced birth defects and suffered appalling abuse as an orphan, before being adopted and moving to the US, where she went on to triumph over her challenges to win ten Paralympic medals in four different sports.

Oksana Masters was born in the shadow of Chernobyl, with one kidney, a partial stomach, six toes on each foot, webbed fingers, no right bicep and no thumbs. Her left leg was six inches shorter than her right, and she was missing both tibias.Relinquished to the orphanage system by birth parents daunted by the staggering cost of their childs medical care, Oksana encountered numerous abuses, some horrifying. Salvation came at the age of seven when Gay Masters, an unmarried American professor who saw a photo of the little girl and became haunted by her eyes, waged a two-year war against stubborn adoption authorities to rescue Oksana from her circumstances.

In America, Oksana endured years of operations that included a double leg amputation. Still, how could she hope to fit in when there were so many things making her differentAs it turned out, she would do much more than fit in. Determined to prove herself and fuelled by a drive to succeed that still smouldered from childhood, Oksana triumphed in not just one sport but four - winning against the worlds best in rowing, biathlon, cross-country skiing and road cycling competitions.

This is Oksanas astonishing story of journeying through a series of dark tunnels - and how, with her mothers love, she finally found her way into the light. Her message to anyone who doesnt fit in: you can find a place where you excel and where you have worth.

Reviews

'Heart wrenching and extraordinary.The Hard Parts is a remarkable memoir of coping with trauma, but it's mostly about courage and achieving the impossible.I'm completely in awe of Oksana and her resilience what an inspiration.' -- Ariana Neumann, author of When Time Stopped
'The Hard Parts takes us from heartache to courage, from crushing disabilities to exemplary talents, from hopelessness to sky-high aspiration. Here is a young woman who persists with a fierce, undeniable optimism, no matter how devastating the challenges she has faced. Add to this timely story Oksanas beginnings within the tragic backdrop of a Ukrainian orphanage. A hero lives among us.' -- Diana Nyad, author of Find a Way
'A book of rare quality... In these pages, not only does Oksana Masters triumph over tremendous odds but her victories are so multiple and her courage crosses so many different fronts that she forces us to rethink the term "Greatest Ever".Move aside GOATS and make a place for her.' -- Sally Jenkins, sports columnist for the Washington Post
'Oksana Masters riveting journey of survival,perseveranceand triumph is much more than an uplifting sports story. From the darkness and despair of life in a Ukrainian orphanage to the top of the Paralympic medal podium, Masters has written a story for our times. She is a remarkable athlete. She is a heroic and trailblazing woman.' -- Christine Brennan, USA Today columnist, author of Best Seat in the House
'Oksana's story is emotionally pounding, from her Dickensian childhood in Ukraine's orphanages to promising her mother a gold medal in the Paralympics. The Hard Parts is a street-fight for survival, then success.And it stretches our own notions of just how much we can take.' -- Lesley Visser, Hall of Fame Sportscaster

Author Bio

Oksana Masters was born in Ukraine in 1989 and faced numerous physical challenges due to in utero radiation poisoning from Chernobyl. After living in three orphanages, she was adopted by an American mother at the age of seven. She is Americas most decorated Winter Paralympiana winner of seventeen medals in four sports.In 2020, she won the Laureus World Sports Award in the category of Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability. Her story has appeared in numerous media outletsfrom Sports Illustrated to The New York Times to the PlayersTribuneand she has participated in high fashion shoots for cosmetic and clothing lines created by such stars as Rihanna and Kim Kardashian.