Oksana’s parents refused her at the hospital right after she was born. The girl had congenital malformations of the lower extremities, which later had to be amputated. The girl changed three orphanages and survived hunger, beatings, and even rape. But the small life was saved by Gay Masters, a speech therapist from America. It took Gay 2 years to collect all the documents to transport the 6-year-old girl to the US.

Gay gave the adoptive daughter an excellent upbringing and instilled in her a love for sports. She supported and protected her daughter in everything. At the last Paralympic Games in Pyeong Chang, Oksana won a silver medal in a biathlon sprint and a bronze one in a ski race.

“She gave me my life,” Oksana says of her beloved, one and only, real mother.