04-14-2022 Howard Magazine - Flipbook - Page 32
McFadden takes Bentley for a walk near her family’s home in Clarksville. PHOTO BY KIM HAIRSTON
driveway. She walks her dog, Bentley, a fluffy
Bichon mix who, like McFadden, is a rescue of
sorts. She goes dancing with friends and has
taken salsa classes for kicks.
She has won an ESPY award, an Emmy,
and co-authored a children’s book, “Ya Sama”
(”I Can Do It” in Russian). Her celebrity
has earned her spots on both “The Ellen
DeGeneres Show” and “Good Morning
America,” as well as an invite to The Golden
Globe Awards, where she chatted with actor
Tom Hanks.
“As [Hanks] and I crossed paths, he noticed
the gold medal I had on,” she said. “He said,
‘That’s cool,’ so I let him wear it.”
In 2020, she appeared on “Project Runway,”
the cable TV reality fashion show, where a
designer dressed McFadden in a knockout
gown, with a train that trailed her wheelchair.
The experience was “amazing, a dream,” she
said.
The acclaim provides her a soapbox to
bring the rights for the disabled to light. Her
message has echoed through chambers of
the United Nations, on social media and in
countless run-ins with those whom she meets.
McFadden rails at injustice. In February,
when Russia invaded Ukraine, she joined
the fray, donating humanitarian supplies and
posting links on the internet for others to
follow.
“Life isn’t about what you don’t have, it’s
32 | SPRING 2022 | howardmagazine.com
Atholton alumna Tatyana McFadden, right, competes in the 1,500 meters during the Paralympics in Rio
de Janeiro in 2016. LUCAS UEBEL/GETTY IMAGES
about what you do with the gifts you’re given,”
she said.
In a do-over, would she change anything?
“I don’t think so. I can’t imagine living life
any other way,” McFadden said. “If I wasn’t
disabled, would I still be an athlete? I might
still be in Russia. I’ve found such a great life
in all that I’m doing. I don’t dream about
[being able-bodied]. I’ve learned, over time, to
embrace who I am.”
Come June, she’ll move to Florida, allowing
her to work out year-round. The spunky girl
who was born in St. Petersburg will now train
in St. Petersburg. When she does hang up her
racing wheelchair — she donates the old ones
to local sports programs — McFadden plans
to create her own foundation to support the
disabled.
“Sharing my story, I hope to inspire anyone
going through tough times,” she said. “Have
I saved any lives? I don’t know; I’ve received
some [heartfelt] mail.
“While in college, I worked in hospital
emergency rooms and rehab centers with
newly-injured kids and adults, as an advocate
for them and their families. It was an eyeopening experience that strengthened my
resolve. It’s a way of giving back.”