Diana Golden was twelve years old when she had cancer. She was walking home one day after playing in the snow when her right leg simply gave out. Doctors diagnosed the problem as bone cancer. They recommended removing her leg above the knee.
When Diana heard the news, she asked the only first question: "Will I be still able to ski?" "When the doctors said yes," she later recalled, "I figured it wouldn't be too bad."
Losing a leg would cause most children to lose confidence and hope, but Diana refused to dwell on the negative. "It is nothing. A body part." she'd say.
Most of all, Diana was not discouraged. She loved skiing and she had been on skis since the age of five. After the operation, Diana worked hard to get back to the mountain near her home. "I always skied and I intended to keep on skiing. I never doubt that." she declared. Diana met her goal. She was back out on the slopes.
With just one leg, Diana made the best of it. In high school, Diana became a member of her school's ski racing team. And in 1979, when she was just seventeen, she joined the US Disabled Ski Team.
After high school, Diana went on to Dartmouth College. Determined not to be left behind, Diana continued her training with the Dartmouth team. "I had one leg, which meant I had to do it differently." she later explained.
In 1982, Diana entered her first international ski race. She won the world Handicapped Championship in Norway. In 1986, Diana won the Beck Award given to the best American racer in international skiing. And in 1988, she was named Ski Racing Magazine's U.S. Female Skier of the Year.
With her courage and determination, Diana has changed how people look at disabled athletes. "Everyone has some kind of disability," Diana says. "It's what we do with our abilities that matters."
In 1990, Diana retired from racing for good.
