Early Life
Diana Golden grew up in Lincoln, Massachusetts and began skiing at the age of five, making regular trips to Cannon Mountain Ski Area with her parents. However in 1975, at the age of 12, her right leg collapsed while she was walking home from skiing and doctors diagnosed bone cancer. As a result the doctors had to amputate her leg above the knee to stop the cancer from spreading.
Following the surgery the first question Golden asked was whether she would be able to ski again and was relieved to discover that she would be able to. After being fitted with a prosthetic device she learned to walk and then ski again within six or seven months with the help of the New England Handicapped Sportsmen's Association. In her junior year at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School she became a member of the ski team and by the age of 17 had joined the United States Disabled Ski Team (USDST).
After high school Golden went to Dartmouth College and gained a degree in English Literature in 1984. While there in 1982 she competed at the World Handicapped Championships in Norway, winning a gold medal in the downhill and a silver in the giant slalom. However she then became disillusioned with competitive skiing and would join a group of born again Christians. After college she went to work for a local firm selling computer software before a friend reintroduced her to skiing and she rediscovered her love of it. In 1985 she rejoined the USDST and would gain sponsorships and a scholarship in order to be able to pursue it full time.
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