1 . Ida Keeling was 67, weak and sick, when her daughter Cheryl suggested a run to her. Cheryl thought that maybe what would pull her mother out from dark cloud was something that would get her _______ again.

Keeling lived a hard life when young, growing up _______ in Harlem, and doing hard work in factories during the Great Depression. She had _______ her husband early, and two of her four children died in drug-related incidents in 1978 and 1981.

Keeling had sunk into a deep _______, her health had begun to _______, and her daughters began to _______ that they soon might be losing their mother as well.

It had been decades since Keeling had done any _______, and she would later recall that first “mini-run” feeling as if it would never end. But when it did, “I just threw off all my bad _______.”

She hasn’t stopped running since, and it’s no longer as _______ as it was during that first meet. “I was just exercising then,” she says ________ regarding that first run, “and now I’m all over the world.”

When she’s not running, she must be ________. She’s in the gym three to four days a week on a ________ basis. Part of her healthy diet is occasional consumption of alcohol mixed with her coffee or water to ________ blood circulation.

She’s written a book about her ________, titled Can’t Nothing Bring Me Down: Chasing Myself in the Race Against Time. Her ________ is also suitable for everyone: “Every day is another day forward.”

2 . Shawn Cheshire rode across the country on her bicycle, depending on Jesse Crandall, a chemistry professor, to guide her every step of the way. Cheshire lost her ________ after an accident nine years ago and turned to ________ because she believed sports and physical challenges gave her “another opportunity at ________.” Through a friendship with Crandall, she has ________ bicycling to her activities, traveling across the country, meeting and inspiring people all along the way.

To Crandall, teaching and guiding are about helping others through ________. “For many students, chemistry is something they have no experience with,” Crandall said. “So, when I’m teaching, it helps to think about my experiences ________ my blind friend Cheshire. Then I try talking about the lesson in a language that, ________, everybody can understand.”

Crandall and Cheshire have been skiing, climbing and bicycling together for the past decade. In 2018, the ________ faced the steep terrain of the Grand Canyon, completing a ________ hiking in just over 24 hours. As they walked 42 miles through the night, Cheshire ________ warnings of dangers from Crandall, as well as the noise of the bell he wore, which ________ as they advanced. In 2021, Cheshire ________ another world record by riding her own bicycle from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.

While their next adventure remains uncertain, Crandall knows that there are no ________ with Cheshire. They have discussed skiing across Antarctica as a potential future endeavor. Their ________ and shared determination will continue to motivate others to overcome setbacks and ________ boundaries.

4 . When other teenagers hang out with friends in the summer vacations. Erica doesn’t join. Instead, the 16-year-old senior high student is ______in filling cake orders and updating her website. She ______Kayke Bakery, a home-based business.

Erica started baking out of ______in the year 2021. Her first attempt was a(n) ______.Yet she made more cakes the next day and ______her techniques through teaching videos on a daily basis. “I saw other people’s decorated cakes and was ______to be a cake artist instead of just a baker,” Erica said. After due ______, she asked her parents about setting up her own business. “Seeing how ______she was,” Erica’s mother recalled, “we ______beginning to help her cope with all the legalities for its opening.” Soon, she had ______customers always coming to her for custom cakes. “______dealing with both school and a business is tough on occasions, but I managed to get______.” she said. “I’m glad to be able to do what I love.”

Always considered a ______, Erica finished her senior year with almost full marks. She plans to ______cake decorating after senior high. “I’m thinking about starting non-profit organizations.” In these years, besides learning various techniques, Erica has become more ______ . “I realize I possess great potential and power.”

5 . Diana Golden was twelve years old when she had cancer. She was walking home one day after playing in the snow when her right leg simply gave out. Doctors diagnosed the problem as bone cancer. They recommended removing her leg above the knee.

When Diana heard the news, she asked the only first question: “Will I be still able to ski?”

“When the doctors said yes,” she later recalled, “I figured it wouldn’t be too bad.”

Losing a leg would cause most children to lose confidence and hope, but Diana refused to dwell on the negative. “It is nothing. A body part.” she’d say.

Most of all, Diana was not discouraged. She loved skiing and she had been on skis since the age of five. After the operation, Diana worked hard to get back to the mountain near her home. “I always skied and I intended to keep on skiing. I never doubt that.” she declared. Diana met her goal. She was back out on the slopes.

With just one leg, Diana made the best of it. In high school, Diana became a member of her school’s ski racing team. And in 1979, when she was just seventeen, she joined the US Disabled Ski Team.

After high school, Diana went on to Dartmouth College. Determined not to be left behind, Diana continued her training with the Dartmouth team. “I had one leg, which meant I had to do it differently.” she later explained.

In 1982, Diana entered her first international ski race. She won the world Handicapped Championship in Norway. In 1986, Diana won the Beck Award given to the best American racer in international skiing. And in 1988, she was named Ski Racing Magazine’s U.S. Female Skier of the Year.

With her courage and determination, Diana has changed how people look at disabled athletes. “Everyone has some kind of disability,” Diana says. “It’s what we do with our abilities that matters.”

In 1990, Diana retired from racing for good.

9 . On the website of the EU Prize for Women Innovators, there are dozens of inspiring stories of female leaders alongside pictures of these professional-looking women wearing single color business suits. But when we move the page down a little further, Ailbhe and Izzy’s pictures pop off the page, with their eye-catching colors and bright rainbow patterns, which is entirely in line with their company belief “If you can’t stand up, stand out.” The fashionable sisters took the world by storm with their personalized wheelchair decorations.

Ailbhe, now 25, was four years old when she became a big sister to Izzy. Although Izzy was born disabled and couldn’t move from the waist down, her courage and energy deeply impressed Ailbhe and the two sisters developed a lifelong friendship. They spent hours as children decorating Izzy’s wheelchairs and her other mobility devices. So when Ailbhe graduated from the National College of Art and had to complete a final year project, she knew what to choose-dress up a wheelchair’s wheels! Ailbhe said, “The wheelchair itself didn’t show Izzy’s attitudes to life, or her energetic personality. It was ugly and made you lose confidence. I thought there might be a way of bridging that gap.”

Ailbhe’s project was extremely well received at her school’s design show. Izzy loved the new wheels as well. A state organization helped the sisters work with fashion designers and get their business to take off. The next step for the sisters was partnering with big companies which were interested in representing people with disabilities. They turned to Disney. After all, this cooperation would involve one of their favorite activities-watching Disney movies! Besides, Disney was willing to donate 10% of profits to a charity that helps disabled children. In addition, the company promised to realize the dreams of children with disabilities.

The sisters are excited for their creativity to make life in a wheelchair more fashionable, fun and personalized.