Kayden Beasley’s life began without lower leg bones in a Chinese orphanage—but his journey carried him off to a loving family in a tiny North Carolina town, and eventually to the 2026 Paralympics in Italy.
Along the way, he’s broken every barrier and overpowered the obstacles in front of him to help bring a Gold Medal in sled hockey to the United States.
Kayden was born as a congenital double amputee above the knee, but at age 3, was adopted by Anthony and Amy Beasley on Christmas Day, and brought up in a loving home 30 miles from Raleigh with another son adopted from China three years earlier.
“It’s all I’ve ever known,” Kayden said of his loving North Carolina family in an article by the Raleigh News & Observer. “(My adoption) is a part of the journey, but not all of it.”
When he was 13, someone at his doctor’s office told him about the Carolina Hurricanes sled hockey club—an adaptive version of ice hockey, featuring sled-like mechanisms that allow people with disabilities to partake in the sport.
Kayden’s first experience with it proved to be a resounding success.
“He’s a natural, and he’s never looked back,” said Brian Jacoby, Founder and Co-Director of the Carolina Hurricanes Sled Hockey. “His first international tournament, I think in the second game, he was named player of the game.”
Before long, a new-found purpose and passion overtook Kayden’s life, sending him skating past any perceived limitations. He was invited to a Team USA development camp for sled hockey and eventually made the team.
Then, he competed in the 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championship, where he had two goals and five assists in five games, helping to lead Team USA to a gold medal.
This month he skated in the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy, just weeks after the USA men’s and women’s teams both won gold in the same city’s Winter Olympics.
At 19 years old, Kayden is still the third youngest member of the team, but he played in all five games for Team USA, scoring three goals and adding an assist as the Americans earned yet another gold medal.
(Watch the clutch goal below…)
“Happy, proud, excited; I am not sure what describes my emotions the best,” Hurricanes Director of Youth Hockey and Community Outreach Shane Willis said in an NHL article.
“Hurricanes Sled Hockey is home to a USA Hockey Gold medal, and I can’t wait to see it grow—and have more young players look up to Kayden.”
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The young Beasley’s life began seemingly surrounded by barriers and obstacles. But thanks to a family’s love and the purpose provided by a sport, he’s sped past them all, delivering a gold medal to his country, and some inspiration to anyone who hears his story.
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