Cara Dunne-Yates
Encyclopedia
Cara Dunne-Yates - a scholar-athlete, bioethicists, linguist, lawyer, advocate, writer, poet, and mother of two. Paralympic
medalist in both winter and summer sports. Harvard
-educated; the only disabled First Marshall (class president) of an ivy-league university. UCLA - Doctorate of Jurisprudence. Published in both the U.S. and Japan. Most of all an adventurer who traveled the world. She believed in dreaming and using those dreams as her guiding force to achievement - to be the best.
, Illinois
, Dunne-Yates was first diagnosed by Dr. Morton Goldberg at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Illinois at Chicago
with retinoblastoma
(RB) retinal cancer at 15 months. Dr. Goldberg immediately removed one eye, and after 3 years of chemotherapy
and radiation therapy
, removed her other eye, as a life saving treatment.
A few months after graduating from Harvard College she was diagnosed with a facial cancer osteosarcoma
. In two operations, part of her right cheekbone and palata were removed. She endured six months of intensive chemotherapy
and rehabilitation treatment.
Eight years later, in 2000, she was again diagnosed with a rare and aggressive Leiomyosarcoma
in the abdomen; quickly, the cancer traveled to her liver which, ultimately, caused her death in October, 2004.
Class of 1988 - Taft High School in Chicago.
Class of 1992 - Cara graduated as First Marshall (class president) and magna cum laude from Harvard with an A.B. in East Asian Studies and a minor in Economics.
Class of 1997 - Cara graduated UCLA Law School, after a one year medical deferral, and while training for the 1996 U.S. Paralympic Cycling Team.
2002-2004 - fellow with Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts - Women's Studies Scholars Program.
In 1976, when Cara was six years old, her mother, Mary Zabelski decided to introduce Cara to alpine skiing, as part of a Chicago based group, The American Blind Ski Association (ABSF). Eventually, Cara and soon to be stepfather trained with ABSF at local ski areas as part of inter-club races. In 1979, after two seasons of skiing for fun as a family activity, Cara entered her first ski race. With a disastrous beginning, Cara and her ski coach/guide and stepfather developed a new guiding technique, where the skier would follow the guide - the front guiding technique. After, numerous inter-club races with blind skiers from groups from Wisconsin and Michigan, Cara's technique and confidence, as a ski racer, improved. In 1982, she and her stepfather prepared for and competed in the first ever (U.S. Blind National Alpine Championships); she won the gold medal in giant slalom. At 11 years old, she was selected and competed with the U.S. Paralympic Alpine Ski Team (1982 through 1989)and medalled in world championship events in Switzerland, Canada, Austria, and Sweden. Throughout her skiing career, Cara was exclusively coached and guided by her stepfather, Richard Zabelski, Chicago.
----
U.S. National Alpine skiing Championships
----
1981 1st U.S. National Alpine Skiing Championships for the Blind - winner of gold medal for women's giant slalom - U.S. Alpine National Championships (Upper Peninsula, Michigan); race sanctioned by the United States Association of Blind Athletes
USABA.
1981 - At 11, selected as the youngest member of the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team.
1981-88 U.S. National Alpine Skiing Championships - multiple national championship medalist - U.S. Association for Blind Skiers (USABA).
----
Paralympic Skiing Championships
----
1984 Winter Paralympics - bronze medal for women's alpine combo - alpine skiing (Innsbruck, Austria).
1984 Winter Paralympics - bronze medal for women's downhill - alpine skiing(Innsbruck, Austria).
1984 Winter Paralympics - silver medal for women's giant slalom - alpine skiing(Innsbruck, Austria).
1988 Winter Paralympics - silver medal for women's downhill - alpine skiing (Innsbruck, Austria).
1988 Winter Paralympics - silver medal for women's giant slalom - alpine skiing (Innsbruck, Austria).
----
World Skiing Championships
----
1982 Winter Paralympics - bronze medal for women's alpine combo - alpine skiing (Le Diablerets, Switzerland).
1982 Winter Paralympics - bronze medal for women's downhill - alpine skiing(Le Diablerets, Switzerland).
1982 Winter Paralympics - silver medal for women's giant slalom - alpine skiing (Le Diablerets, Switzerland).
1986 Winter Paralympics - bronze medal for women's downhill - alpine skiing (Salen, Sweden).
1986 Winter Paralympics - silver medal for women's giant slalom - alpine skiing (Salen, Sweden).
1986 Winter Paralympics - bronze medal for women's alpine combo - alpine skiing (Salen, Sweden).
----
In 1994, Cara entered University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Law School. In 1995, she met and began training with Scott Evans, an accomplished velodrome cyclist. They trained daily on a tandem track bike, while each attended classes at UCLA. Cara and Scott entered several races to build strength, coordination and strategies. In 1996, Cara and Scott entered their first (U.S. National Cycling Championships), Houston, Texas, in categories for visually impaired cyclists. They won first place and were selected to the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Cycling Team. Throughout her cycling career, Cara was exclusively piloted by her good friend, Scott Evans.
----
Paralympic Cycling Championships
----
1996 Summer Paralympics - silver medal for mixed tandem -1 km - tandem cycling (Atlanta, Georgia).
1996 Summer Paralympics - bronze medal for 200m sprint - tandem cycling, (Atlanta, Georgia).
2000 Summer Paralympics - 10th place in the kilo at the 2000, (Sydney, Australia).
----
World Cycling Championships
----
1998 World Cycling Championships - member of U. S. Cycling team, (Colorado Springs, Colorado).
1988 - admitted early admission to Harvard University Undergraduate; only blind student.
1989 - official emissary of Richard M. Daley and the City of Chicago, visiting various cites and prefectures throughout Japan, lecturing, writing and inspiring many throughout the country.
1992 - graduated magna cum laude - 'First Marshall' of her 1992 graduating class with a Bachelour of Arts in East Asian Languages and a minor in Economics.
1993 - Co-President of the New England
Retinoblastoma
Family Foundation.
1997 - United States Association of Blind Athletes
'Female Athlete of the Year'.
1998 - published in "The Journal of Law and Medicine" (October 1998) on the ethical debate surrounding the prenatal diagnosis of genetically based disability.
1998 - Gene Autry Foundation Courage Award for showing heroism in the face of adversity.
2001 - Carpe Diem award from the Lance Armstrong Foundation
.
2001 - inducted into the International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame, located at the University of Rhode Island
, Kingston Rhode Island.
2002 - awarded the Jane Rainie Opel '50 Young Alumna Award from the Radcliffe Association, Harvard University. The award, which honors Radcliffe Association executive director Jane Rainie Opel '50, is presented annually to an alumna in the 10th reunion class for an outstanding contribution to the advancement of women, to her profession, or to the institute.
2002 - True Hero of Sports award from the Center for the Study of Sports in Society, Northeastern University Boston
, Massachusetts.
2001-2004 - fellow in the Brandeis University
, Waltham
, Massachusetts
Women's Studies Scholars Program.
2010 - life size statue, in the likeness of Dunne-Yates and her dog guide, erected at entrance of Challenge Aspen, an adaptive sports program in Colorado
.
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
medalist in both winter and summer sports. Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
-educated; the only disabled First Marshall (class president) of an ivy-league university. UCLA - Doctorate of Jurisprudence. Published in both the U.S. and Japan. Most of all an adventurer who traveled the world. She believed in dreaming and using those dreams as her guiding force to achievement - to be the best.
Battle with Cancer
Born and raised in the northwest side of ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Dunne-Yates was first diagnosed by Dr. Morton Goldberg at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
with retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma is a rapidly developing cancer that develops in the cells of retina, the light-detecting tissue of the eye. In the developed world, Rb has one of the best cure rates of all childhood cancers , with more than nine out of every ten sufferers surviving into...
(RB) retinal cancer at 15 months. Dr. Goldberg immediately removed one eye, and after 3 years of chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
and radiation therapy
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy , radiation oncology, or radiotherapy , sometimes abbreviated to XRT or DXT, is the medical use of ionizing radiation, generally as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells.Radiation therapy is commonly applied to the cancerous tumor because of its ability to control...
, removed her other eye, as a life saving treatment.
A few months after graduating from Harvard College she was diagnosed with a facial cancer osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma is an aggressive cancerous neoplasm arising from primitive transformed cells of mesenchymal origin that exhibit osteoblastic differentiation and produce malignant osteoid...
. In two operations, part of her right cheekbone and palata were removed. She endured six months of intensive chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
and rehabilitation treatment.
Eight years later, in 2000, she was again diagnosed with a rare and aggressive Leiomyosarcoma
Leiomyosarcoma
Leiomyosarcoma , aka LMS, is a malignant cancer of smooth muscle....
in the abdomen; quickly, the cancer traveled to her liver which, ultimately, caused her death in October, 2004.
Education
Class of 1984 - Dunne-Yates attended Farnsworth Elementary School.Class of 1988 - Taft High School in Chicago.
Class of 1992 - Cara graduated as First Marshall (class president) and magna cum laude from Harvard with an A.B. in East Asian Studies and a minor in Economics.
Class of 1997 - Cara graduated UCLA Law School, after a one year medical deferral, and while training for the 1996 U.S. Paralympic Cycling Team.
2002-2004 - fellow with Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts - Women's Studies Scholars Program.
Elite Athlete
One of a very few athletes, worldwide, who medalled in both winter and summer Olympic or Paralympic sports competitionIn 1976, when Cara was six years old, her mother, Mary Zabelski decided to introduce Cara to alpine skiing, as part of a Chicago based group, The American Blind Ski Association (ABSF). Eventually, Cara and soon to be stepfather trained with ABSF at local ski areas as part of inter-club races. In 1979, after two seasons of skiing for fun as a family activity, Cara entered her first ski race. With a disastrous beginning, Cara and her ski coach/guide and stepfather developed a new guiding technique, where the skier would follow the guide - the front guiding technique. After, numerous inter-club races with blind skiers from groups from Wisconsin and Michigan, Cara's technique and confidence, as a ski racer, improved. In 1982, she and her stepfather prepared for and competed in the first ever (U.S. Blind National Alpine Championships); she won the gold medal in giant slalom. At 11 years old, she was selected and competed with the U.S. Paralympic Alpine Ski Team (1982 through 1989)and medalled in world championship events in Switzerland, Canada, Austria, and Sweden. Throughout her skiing career, Cara was exclusively coached and guided by her stepfather, Richard Zabelski, Chicago.
----
U.S. National Alpine skiing Championships
----
1981 1st U.S. National Alpine Skiing Championships for the Blind - winner of gold medal for women's giant slalom - U.S. Alpine National Championships (Upper Peninsula, Michigan); race sanctioned by the United States Association of Blind Athletes
United States Association of Blind Athletes
The United States Association of Blind Athletes , is an organization founded in 1976 to increase the number and quality of world-class athletic opportunities for Americans who are blind or visually impaired...
USABA.
1981 - At 11, selected as the youngest member of the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team.
1981-88 U.S. National Alpine Skiing Championships - multiple national championship medalist - U.S. Association for Blind Skiers (USABA).
----
Paralympic Skiing Championships
----
1984 Winter Paralympics - bronze medal for women's alpine combo - alpine skiing (Innsbruck, Austria).
1984 Winter Paralympics - bronze medal for women's downhill - alpine skiing(Innsbruck, Austria).
1984 Winter Paralympics - silver medal for women's giant slalom - alpine skiing(Innsbruck, Austria).
1988 Winter Paralympics - silver medal for women's downhill - alpine skiing (Innsbruck, Austria).
1988 Winter Paralympics - silver medal for women's giant slalom - alpine skiing (Innsbruck, Austria).
----
World Skiing Championships
----
1982 Winter Paralympics - bronze medal for women's alpine combo - alpine skiing (Le Diablerets, Switzerland).
1982 Winter Paralympics - bronze medal for women's downhill - alpine skiing(Le Diablerets, Switzerland).
1982 Winter Paralympics - silver medal for women's giant slalom - alpine skiing (Le Diablerets, Switzerland).
1986 Winter Paralympics - bronze medal for women's downhill - alpine skiing (Salen, Sweden).
1986 Winter Paralympics - silver medal for women's giant slalom - alpine skiing (Salen, Sweden).
1986 Winter Paralympics - bronze medal for women's alpine combo - alpine skiing (Salen, Sweden).
----
In 1994, Cara entered University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Law School. In 1995, she met and began training with Scott Evans, an accomplished velodrome cyclist. They trained daily on a tandem track bike, while each attended classes at UCLA. Cara and Scott entered several races to build strength, coordination and strategies. In 1996, Cara and Scott entered their first (U.S. National Cycling Championships), Houston, Texas, in categories for visually impaired cyclists. They won first place and were selected to the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Cycling Team. Throughout her cycling career, Cara was exclusively piloted by her good friend, Scott Evans.
----
Paralympic Cycling Championships
----
1996 Summer Paralympics - silver medal for mixed tandem -1 km - tandem cycling (Atlanta, Georgia).
1996 Summer Paralympics - bronze medal for 200m sprint - tandem cycling, (Atlanta, Georgia).
2000 Summer Paralympics - 10th place in the kilo at the 2000, (Sydney, Australia).
----
World Cycling Championships
----
1998 World Cycling Championships - member of U. S. Cycling team, (Colorado Springs, Colorado).
Advocate
Among her many accomplishments outside the sports arena, she .......- 1988 - published in "The Journal of Law and Medicine" (October 1998) on the ethical debate surrounding the prenatal diagnosis of genetically based disability.
- 1989 - traveled to Japan as an official emissary of Mayor Richard M. Daley and the City of Chicago. She toured Japan, inspiring many throughout the country.
- 1991 - returned to Japan; successfully advocating (after 18 hours) for her admission into Japan with her dog guide. She temporarily worked for Tokyo Business Machines, until she was recruited to lecture on the rights of the disabled. She appeared multiple times on Japanese television and radio and in the print media. She testified before Japanese legislators.
- 1991 - appeared and interviewed for Japanese print media and legislature and on Japanese television and radio; extensively lectured on the rights of the disabled. Initially worked for Tokyo Business Machines.
- 1991 - successfully forced the Law School Admissions Council into providing the LSAT in Braille for the first time.
- 1992 - Dunne-Yates became co-director of the National Retinoblastoma Foundation.
- 1996 - Dunne-Yates received the prestigious Reynolds Award from Massachusetts General Hospital for her advocacy efforts on behalf of families with children who are blind including those with additional disabilities. She was co-honorees with Senator Edward Kennedy.
- 1997 - featured on ABC's "20-20" - Cara Dunne-Yates "Her Personal Story".
- Dunne-Yates was a prolific writer, and poet. She was a journalist for several community newspapers in Illinois, Massachusetts, and Colorado, including the 1998-2001 U.S. Olympic Committee's Website.
- contributor to the Encyclopedia of Women and Sport in America with the her essay on female athletes and athletics.
- published in both the United States and Japan.
Family
Daughter of Mary S. Zabelski and stepdaughter of Richard Zabelski of Chicago, she married in 1998 to Spencer Yates, a sighted cyclist who was the competitive partner of another blind athlete. She had a daughter - Elise, in 2000 and a son - Carson, in 2003.Honors
1987 - Harvard Club of Chicago (HCC) designated top candidate from 400 plus Chicago area applications for admission to Harvard University - undergraduate.1988 - admitted early admission to Harvard University Undergraduate; only blind student.
1989 - official emissary of Richard M. Daley and the City of Chicago, visiting various cites and prefectures throughout Japan, lecturing, writing and inspiring many throughout the country.
1992 - graduated magna cum laude - 'First Marshall' of her 1992 graduating class with a Bachelour of Arts in East Asian Languages and a minor in Economics.
1993 - Co-President of the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
Retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma is a rapidly developing cancer that develops in the cells of retina, the light-detecting tissue of the eye. In the developed world, Rb has one of the best cure rates of all childhood cancers , with more than nine out of every ten sufferers surviving into...
Family Foundation.
1997 - United States Association of Blind Athletes
United States Association of Blind Athletes
The United States Association of Blind Athletes , is an organization founded in 1976 to increase the number and quality of world-class athletic opportunities for Americans who are blind or visually impaired...
'Female Athlete of the Year'.
1998 - published in "The Journal of Law and Medicine" (October 1998) on the ethical debate surrounding the prenatal diagnosis of genetically based disability.
1998 - Gene Autry Foundation Courage Award for showing heroism in the face of adversity.
2001 - Carpe Diem award from the Lance Armstrong Foundation
Lance Armstrong Foundation
The Lance Armstrong Foundation is a United States 501 nonprofit organization that provides support for people affected by cancer, founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong. The LAF states that its mission is 'to inspire and empower' cancer sufferers and their families...
.
2001 - inducted into the International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame, located at the University of Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
, Kingston Rhode Island.
2002 - awarded the Jane Rainie Opel '50 Young Alumna Award from the Radcliffe Association, Harvard University. The award, which honors Radcliffe Association executive director Jane Rainie Opel '50, is presented annually to an alumna in the 10th reunion class for an outstanding contribution to the advancement of women, to her profession, or to the institute.
2002 - True Hero of Sports award from the Center for the Study of Sports in Society, Northeastern University Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts.
2001-2004 - fellow in the Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
, Waltham
Waltham
-Horology:* Waltham Watch Company, American watch manufacturer, pioneer in the industrialisation of the manufacturing of watch movements** Waltham International, Swiss subsidiary-Places:In Canada:*Waltham, QuebecIn England:...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
Women's Studies Scholars Program.
2010 - life size statue, in the likeness of Dunne-Yates and her dog guide, erected at entrance of Challenge Aspen, an adaptive sports program in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.