Caitie

Sarubbi

For most people, taking on the challenge of making the 2010 U.S. Paralympic Alpine Skiing Team and competing at the Paralympic Winter Games is enough of a task to handle on its own. But, Caitlin Sarubbi isn’t most people. Sarubbi is in her freshman year at Harvard University and in addition to her academic studies, also ski races full-time.

Shortly after the attacks on America on September 11, 2001, Sarubbi, the daughter of a New York City firefighter, was invited to be a guest with her father at The Hartford Ski Spectacular in Breckenridge, Colorado. Though she was only 11 years old at the time, the experience led Sarubbi to decide on an athletic career in skiing.

The oldest of her four siblings, Sarubbi was born with a rare syndrome, that only about 13 people in the world have, called Ablepharon Macrostomia Syndrome (AMS). AMS caused Sarubbi to be born without eyelids, which led to her having over 56 surgeries and left her visually impaired.