It is with a heavy heart that we share this news with you today.

USASA Alumni Bibian Mentel, who spent two decades fighting cancer while dominating her sport, including becoming the first Paralympic snowboarding champion in 2014, died Monday at age 48 from the effects of widespread bone cancer.

Amy Purdy, a fellow Paralympic snowboarding medalist and friend, video chatted with Mentel and their husbands earlier this month. “Bibian reminded us, all that matters is what we have today,” Purdy said in a recent interview. “She said, ‘Look at us right now. I have love in my life. You guys have love in your life. We love each other. We’ve lived this incredible life side by side. What more can we ask for?’

If you’re wondering what can you do for Bibian now that she’s gone, we suggest helping in her mission and keep her dream alive by giving to help children and young adults with a physical disability to live independently and full of self-confidence again.

Simply click on this donation link https://mentelityfoundation.org/doe-een-donatie and you can easily make a one-off donation to the Mentelity Foundation to keep her dream alive. Just be sure to set your browser to “Always Translate Dutch”

With these donations we can show Bibian that her Mentelity Foundation will continue to help children even after her death.