Paralympian Oksana Masters on Representation: 'If You Have a Body, You're an Athlete'

Michael Steele/Getty Oksana Masters

Oksana Masters is redefining what it means to be an athlete.

"There's a slogan that I really like to refer to," the 33-year-old Paralympian tells PEOPLE. "If you have a body, you're an athlete."

For Masters, the saying encapsulates the shift in sports, specifically around inclusivity. "I think society's seeing how we can all be athletes, regardless if you have legs or not, arms or not, wheelchairs too," she says.

"Sports was a way for me to start realizing how incredible my body was, how incredible my differences were instead of trying to hate them and hide them to fit in."

RELATED: Oksana Masters, Former Ukrainian Orphan Turned U.S. Paralympian, on 'Breaking Society's Molds'

Joe Kusumoto Photography on behalf of The Hartford Oksana Masters

Masters grew up as an orphan after her parents abandoned her in Ukraine. She was born with numerous birth defects, including webbed fingers, six toes on each foot, one kidney and the lack of weight-bearing bones in her legs, all caused by radiation from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster.

After spending the first seven years of her life in Ukrainian orphanages, Masters was adopted by American speech therapy professor Gay Masters and brought to the states.

Now that she's the most decorated U.S. Winter Paralympian — holding seven gold medals, seven silvers, and three bronze medals — it's important to her to inspire a future generation of Paralympians to follow their dreams too.

"Our bodies are incredible," Masters says, emphasizing that "sports are an incredible tool" to show us how our bodies can "adapt on the fly," according to Masters. "It doesn't matter how you look doing something, there's no right or wrong way."

In partnership with The Hartford and its Adaptive Sports program at The Hartford Ski Spectacular, Masters was able to surprise 13 athletes with custom-fit adaptive sports equipment to help them participate and excel in adaptive sports earlier this month.

Joe Kusumoto Photography on behalf of The Hartford

Talking about what the partnership means to her, Masters says, "It's hard to sum it up because the Hartford Ski Spectacular is where I actually got my start as a cross-country skier and a winter athlete." Now, she loves "coming back to the event because I didn't have that role model," at the start of her own career.

"I personally got to surprise two athletes," says Masters, who adds that "it means the world" to her to get to give back to the future generation of Paralympian hopefuls. "For me personally, when I got my equipment, it just elevated my goal as an athlete even more," she says of her own experience with the spectacular.

Masters commends the organization for its work in giving athletes the equipment they need to pursue their athletic goals.

"I never had that," she says of both representation and the necessary equipment to excel.

RELATED: Paralympian Oksana Masters Aims to Inspire People with Disabilities: 'I'm Chasing After My Dream'

"I went [to the Hartford Ski Spectacular], and someone told me about the Paralympic games and being an elite athlete, but I had no idea that could even be a thing because I never saw anyone that looked like me doing it, representing your country, representing your sport," she tells PEOPLE.

Vladimir SmirnovTASS via Getty Images

The program isn't just for athletes hoping to win medals, however. Masters says the Hartford Ski Spectacular is crucial to the progression of inclusivity in sports, both professionally and recreationally.

Masters hopes the new equipment will get the athletes moving, "even if you're just doing it for fun with your friends and spending the day on the mountain."

"Being an athlete just means being resilient and fearless," she says, no matter the sport or the level.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Masters is coming off of a recent surgery after an injury to her hand. "It was so painful," she says of the injury. "It happened in the middle of a race on a downhill. I caught myself, and in the process, ruptured all of my ligaments and attendance and tissues."

Lintao Zhang/Getty

Pain aside, Masters says she's taking her own advice when it comes to the recovery process. "I gotta own the words I said earlier. I love being uncomfortable because those are the moments where you learn."

Next, she'll try to "take this experience as a way I can learn something new and maybe apply it to my sport," the athlete says.