Gabe1
Ivory Tower Squabble EST 2011. WINDMILL SURVIVOR
Today seems to be a good day to share this story. My DD attends the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana which has for decades championed equal access. UoI has always been the leading University in access. There is one young lady Tatyana who attended school with my DD who was born in Russia with Spinal Bifida. She had surgery 21 days after birth instead of immediately and was abandoned and sent to an orphanage paralyzed from the waist down, so poor it couldn't buy crayons let alone a wheelchair for Tatyana, she remained in bed, malnourished basically left to die.
Her adoptive, American Mom visited the orphanage on a business trip bonded with her and adopted her. She almost died in the USA because she had been so malnourished and was only expected to live a few months. She pushed forward with a will. Her Mom built strength in her and enrolled her in every sport imaginable including swimming but ultimately her love was wheelchair racing.
At the University of IL she is known as the Beast. She is so strong and students are in awe at how much she can lift and goes up hills in her wheelchair that bring others to a crawl.
Today she won the Chicago Marathon in a sprint to the end in the time of 1:42:37 and put her in another elite classification, the first to win 3 marathons in a row, including Boston and the first to win 4 marathons in her wheelchair in a single year.
My DD and I both followed the marathon, separated by 4 hours from each other, cheering her on. She has accomplished everything she can do with the support of her Mom who believed she could do anything she set her mind to do. This young lady sets the bar with grace and dignity for all she has decided to accomplish.
I am so proud of her and everything she represents in life.
I bet that when Tatyana goes to WDW she waits in line with everyone else.
I betting Tatyana gets around Disney as well as she gets around outside of Disney. I really admire her and admire her Mom for focusing on what she could accomplish and the determination they both have.
![0161_nycmarathon_110710.jpg](http://avigerver.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/0161_nycmarathon_110710.jpg?w=600)
I'm in awe of the University of IL wheelchair students and the wheelchair athletes. It is definitely a campus of students that are focused everyday on what they can do. They are amazing.
https://www.facebook.com/illinoiswheelchairathletics