Chelsea Stein’s Unlikely Journey To Winning The Lottery

When she reflects on where she’s been, Chelsea Stein can’t help but smile. 

“I definitely won the lottery,” she said. 

Stein isn’t exaggerating. As a disabled orphan in China, Stein’s odds of prospering were not much better than winning the Powerball. Fortunately, she had some athletic ability, a determination to succeed and a lot of luck on her side.

“I have always been active,” began Stein, who was born with spina bifida and sacral agenesis, conditions that resulted in lower-limb paralysis. “I just wanted to do what the other kids did. But I just grew up using forearm crutches. I had no idea about the Para-athletic world.”

That makes sense, of course. Stein went into foster care as a 3-year-old in China and spent seven years in the system before her fortunes changed. Darrell and Laura Stein adopted 10-year-old Chelsea and welcomed her into their family in Spring, Texas, where her life was about to transform in every possible way.

Under the Steins’ care, Chelsea learned English and received a first-class education. She traded in her crutches for a wheelchair and eventually found adaptive athletics as a higher schooler. 

That moment eventually led Sten to a successful career in Para track and field. Back in January, Sten found out she had earned a spot on USA Track & Field’s Tier Program for the first time. 

Her life changed the first time Stein sat in a racing wheelchair. 

“They brought out a racing chair and I sat in it. I thought, ‘I think I’m going to like this,’” Stein recalled. “I went around the track and fell in love with it.”

At that point, Stein was a sophomore in high school. She had been through a lot since coming to the U.S. and was about to endure more — including surgeries, infections, allergic reactions and long-term hospitalizations. But after missing her entire junior year due to health issues, Stein got back in her racing chair as a senior and quickly made a name for herself. 

Stein went on to attend the University of Arizona, where she is currently a senior majoring in public health. As a member of the Wildcats, her highlights have included winning bronze in the wheelchair 100-meter at the 2024 NCAA championships.

Beyond that, wheelchair racing has taken Stein, now 23, places she never dreamed of. As part of Team USA, she traveled to Chile for the 2023 Parapan American Games, where she won silver in the women’s 100 T53. She also qualified for the Paralympic Games Paris 2024, where she competed in the 100, 400 and 800 and relished the opportunity to compete on the biggest stage in sports.

“I just had a huge smile, ear to ear, the entire time I was there,” she said. “It was just a really good experience. I’m just proud to wear Team USA gear. I wear it all the time. Since being adopted, my citizenship in China was revoked. So, being able to wear my country’s colors, even though I was not born here, makes me feel like part of the team. It makes me feel like one of them. I’m just super happy to be able to wear my country colors.”

It’s something Stein hopes to experience again. Her eyes are on the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles; when she’s focused on a goal, Stein rarely gets denied. 

“I’m very self-determined,” she said. “I don’t give up very easily. I think that’s what’s carried me so far.”

If she reaches the 2028 Paralympics, Stein won’t just be racing for medals. She’ll be racing for everyone who helped her create a life that she never could have expected.  

“I never imagined in a million years that I’d be adopted into a loving family,” Stein said. “A lot of the kids in China aren’t adopted. The trajectory of life there is the complete opposite. Especially living with a disability, without the treatment I’ve had in the U.S., my lifespan wouldn’t be what it is. I believe my parents are a godsend. They saved my life, that’s for sure.”

With a new lease on life, a grand purpose on the track and the support of her family — both in Texas and her Team USA family — Stein continues to feel like she legitimately won the lottery. 

“Being able to compete in a sport and being seen as an equal, I never imagined that. I didn’t even imagine life in the U.S.,” she said. “I was an orphan. I didn’t have an education. This is a miracle for me, just being in the U.S. and having a family and an education and getting to compete in a sport I love and travel around the world. … I just try to be grateful and remember that no matter what happens, I still have a wonderful life that I get to live. I’m super blessed. Getting to race at the highest level is just the cherry on top.”

Drew Silverman is a freelance contributor to usatf.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.