You should never give up your dreams, because with faith and hope, anything is possible.
Just ask Oksana.
From her very first breath, it was an uphill battle for Oksana – but the young woman managed nevertheless to move through every nightmare, defying all odds and achieving miracles that no one thought possible.
Oksana Bondarchuk was born with several birth defects in the Ukrainian city of Khmelnitsky on June 19, 1989.
The girl was missing her weight bearing tibia and had one leg shorter than the other. She had six toes on each foot and was missing her thumbs. The defects were most likely due to the Chernobyl nuclear incident three years earlier.
Oksana’s parents abandoned their daughter – and over the next few years Oksana was forced to be moved around various orphanages. Her childhood was marked by poverty, hunger and beatings.
But one day, things took a drastic turn for Oksana. Gay Masters, a speech therapist from Buffalo, USA, decided to adopt the young girl. She reports that her first meeting with Oksana was unforgettable.
“I looked at the photo and realized that this was my daughter,” Gay told neinvalid.ru.
The process was lengthy, but a year and a half later, Oksana finally left the orphanage in the Ukraine and moved to the United States. At seven-years-old, she was barely a meter tall and weighed only 30 pounds. She also didn’t speak a single word of English.
For the first time of her life, Oksana felt freedom. She received plenty of love and care.
The doctors recommended that Oksana’s legs be amputated because as it would be more helpful for her to have a normal life with artificial legs. So when she was just eight, her left leg was amputated. The right leg followed a few years later.
But Oksana continued to defy all odds. She learned to deal with their physical limitations and soon began rowing, a sport where she quickly showed great promise.
She went beyond her limits, won races – and in 2012, she was selected for the US team in the Paralympics – where she won a bronze medal!
But her success hasn’t stopped there.
Oksana has also won both World Cup and Olympic medals – not only in rowing but also in skiing, biathlon and cycling.
In addition, she has become a model!
At one time, it was unthinkable that she would become a world-class athlete – but the talented girl has certainly defied all odds.
With her determination and hard work, Oksana has proved that nothing is impossible – and today she is an inspiration for millions.
Hope is the last thing to leave us – and this story shows what happens when you hold on to it. Don’t hesitate to pass this along to your friends!
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