Louisiana Snowboarder Wins 5 Paralympic Golds After Cancer

A Baton Rouge teenager who had her leg amputated after a bone cancer diagnosis just became one of the most decorated Paralympic snowboarders in history.

Brenna Huckaby was 14 when doctors diagnosed her with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer affecting fewer than 1,000 Americans each year. The promising gymnast with dreams of competing for LSU had to have her right leg amputated, and suddenly everything she'd planned seemed impossible.

Learning to walk with a prosthetic was just the beginning. Huckaby had to reimagine her entire future after the path she'd worked toward disappeared overnight.

One year after her amputation, a rehabilitation ski trip changed everything. Huckaby was skeptical at first, but she convinced organizers to let her try snowboarding instead of skiing, and something clicked.

She fell in love with the sport immediately. Within three years, she was competing at the highest level.

Huckaby made her Paralympic debut in 2018 at the PyeongChang Winter Games, winning gold medals in both snowboard cross and banked slalom. But her biggest challenge came before the 2022 Beijing Games when officials cut the events she'd won, limiting competition to less impaired athletes.

Instead of accepting the decision, Huckaby organized an inclusivity campaign. She fought for and won the right to compete in those medal events, then went on to claim gold and bronze.

She's now earned 10 world championship medals alongside her five Paralympic golds. Beyond the medals, she's become a powerful voice advocating for disability representation in sports and society.

Why This Inspires

Huckaby's story isn't just about athletic achievement. It's about refusing to let circumstances define your limits.

She transformed a devastating diagnosis into motivation, teaching herself a completely new sport and mastering it at the elite level. When the rules changed to exclude her, she didn't quit. She changed the rules.

Now she's using her platform to open doors for other athletes with disabilities, proving that inclusion makes competition stronger, not weaker.

The 2026 Paralympic Winter Games begin March 6 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, where Huckaby could break the record for most decorated female Paralympic snowboarder and add to her already remarkable legacy.