While Jessica Long was winning gold in the 200m individual medley (SM8) the other day—her fourth consecutive Paralympic gold in that event over a 14-year period—another pretty big story unfolded under the radar. Eighteen-year-old US swimmer Haven Shepherd finished 5th in that race, the first Paralympic event of her career, and she came within a...
We combed US athletes' Instagram feeds to get a sense of their highs and lows in the wake of the Paralympic Trials. Here's a sampling of their reaction.
Millennial and Gen Z amputees aren't waiting for permission to create a better world. Born after (or just before) passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act, these digital natives are empowered by technology and eager to build on the progress of their predecessors.
TLDR: Born in Vietnam, Haven lost her legs in a “family suicide” when she was 14 months old. Her mother and
father strapped bombs to themselves and embraced
Haven, hoping all three would die. The detonation killed both her parents. Haven survived but lost both legs below the knee.