Cassidy Randall '04

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Cassidy Randall '04 has won a Christopher Award for the book she co-authored with Paralympic gold medalist Oksana Masters, "The Hard Parts: A Memoir of Courage and Triumph," (Scribner/Simon & Schuster). It is one of 12 books for adults and young people as the Christopher Awards program marks its 75th year.

In the book, Masters shares her journey from being abused at a Ukrainian orphanage to adoption by a loving American mother to thriving in sports despite her physical disabilities. She was born with severe disabilities in her legs and hands, spending the first years in orphanages. After being adopted by Gay Masters, an American, she finally found a loving, supportive and encouraging mother. However, her past traumas and two leg amputations in the U.S. left her with deep mental and emotional problems. Sports became a healing outlet for her, and she eventually fought her way to become a gold, silver and bronze medalist in several Paralympic games.

Randall is an award-winning freelance writer telling stories on environment, adventure and people expanding human potential. Her work has appeared in "Rolling Stone," "National Geographic," "The New York Times," "Forbes" and "TIME," among others, and has been awarded the Lowell Thomas Gold Medal in Adventure Writing and included in The Year's Best Sports Writing series. Randall is currently working on her next book, the forgotten story of the first all-women’s expedition to Denali in 1970. When she’s not hunched over her computer, she can be found on adventures of her own.

Christopher Awards were also given to creators of 11 TV/Cable shows and feature films. The Awards celebrate authors, and illustrators as well as writers, producers and directors whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit” and reflects the Christopher motto, “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”